Fractured
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: Reality appears to be fractured. Can Raven mend it? Will Terra stop her? Chapter 8 is posted!
1. Chapter 1

The deranged villain laughed as he ran down a narrow alley. He looked back and saw he was being pursued by a green and gray couple. He continued to laugh while as the turned and threw what looked like a stick of dynamite at his pursuers.

"No one catches Bomb-Voyage, no one does!" He continued to laugh hysterically as he resumed running.

"Watch out, Rave! Incoming!" The changeling shouted.

"I got it, Gar; you just make sure he doesn't get away!"

"I'm on it, babe."

"Don't call me that! I've been asking you for over 10 years to stop calling me that. Why do you insist?"

"Uh … because, you're my wife?"

Raven rolled her eyes as she spread her arms. A black bubble encased the bomb, which exploded with a dull thud but was otherwise fully contained. Beast Man, as the 29 year old changeling was now called, gave chase to the madman, morphing into a green cheetah. His wife, who was flying overhead, caught up with him. The green Titan leaped and transformed into a kangaroo, landing on Bomb-Voyage, knocking him over with his massive legs. The villain landed on the ground with a thud and oomphed as the changeling landed on him in his human form, cuffing the ludicrous lawbreaker in the process. The police weren't far behind and took the nutty bomber into custody. As he was being loaded into the police van, Raven spoke to her husband.

"Bomb-Voyage? What a stupid name. I swear, the current crop of villains are idiots. Control Freak is a Renaissance man by comparison.

"He stole that name from a Disney movie. Didn't you see The Incredibles?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. You know very well that watching those movies with the kids is your job, not mine … and I want to keep it that way." She droned in her monotone.

He chuckled as he smiled. "I'm gonna get you to watch one someday."

"Fat chance." She replied.

"Want me to tell the kids that you're a Pegasister?"

"Used to be." She corrected him. "And if you tell them, you're a dead man."

"Ooh, threatening me with violence … that's so hot."

"Remind me why I married you."

"Because I'm funny."

"No you're not."

"You know I've gotten you to smile before."

"Yeah, when you slipped on that banana peel and fell on your butt."

His grinned widened further. "Oh I wouldn't say that, you had a big grin on your face last night after we were done …"

She silenced him with an icy glare. "We don't talk about that in public. Never!"

He graciously wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Sorry, Rave; you know I was just teasing you."

A sigh escaped her lips. "Let's just go home."

"Sounds good to me. I wonder what Edwina's made for dinner?"

_**-( - )-**_

Edwina Pennyworth, a young Englishwoman and niece of Alfred Pennyworth became the Titans' majordomo and nanny shortly after Raven gave birth to her first child. She was in the kitchen, cooking a gourmet dinner for the city's superhero guardians who were out on three different missions. Cyborg rarely cooked anymore, except for occasionally making some Metropolis style spare ribs. Much like her uncle, who was still Batman's confidante, she was trained as a professional chef and spoiled the Titans rotten with her culinary delights.

Coraline and her younger brother Mark Logan were doing their homework on the crescent shaped couch, while Mar'i Grayson was setting the table. The common room' sliding doors opened, revealing Cyborg and Terra. Who were chatting and laughing about their mission.

"Now that's what I call some butt kicking." The blond chortled. Terra rejoined the team about a year after the day she told Beast Boy that "Things Change". She and Cyborg were the two unattached Titans. They hung out a lot and were good friends, but that was it.

"Tell me about it, little lady. Did you see Billy's face, or should I say faces, when you unleashed that avalanche on him?"

"I think he crapped in his pants." Terra laughed. "Ever since Jinx quit the Hive, they've been a bunch of losers."

The Grayson's were the next to arrive. Starfire had matured into a muscular yet voluptuous woman and her husband, who was now Nightwing, had bulked out in his own way. They had returned from chasing down Mumbo, and were as Starfire would still say: victorious.

The Logans were the last to arrive. Raven wore a white version of her leotard and cape while her husband, who had bulked out too, though less than Grayson, had replaced his Doom Patrol uniform with a red and white costume that had red paw marks on the upper sleeves.

Coraline smiled when she saw her parents. "Mom, I just finished my homework!"

"Let me check it for you." Raven replied as she sat down on the couch.

After verifying that her daughter's homework was flawless she noticed that there was a new gossip magazine on the coffee table, titled "What's Jumping in Jump?"

"There's a story about the Titans in it." 9 year old Coraline piped up, she was gray with violet hair like her mother, and had her father's green eyes. 7 year old Mark, who looked like a miniature version of his father, continued to labor with his own homework, plowing through a multiplication work sheet.

Raven homeschooled the children and Mar'i as well, and frowned on them reading gossip magazines of any kind. The cover story on the magazine was "A Titan's Timeline".

Curiosity got the better of the sorceress who opened the magazine and skipped over to the story. The timeline, which was rendered as a twisty road, started with the day the Gordanians invaded the city. Raven followed the timeline and found that it was thorough, with no errors.

The first milestone to catch her eye was shortly after Terra returned to the team, when the Geomancer and the changeling became romantically involved. It showed that they broke up six months later and a small smile appeared on Raven's face when she read the milestone, which was followed shortly by more milestones documenting when the Demoness and the Changeling became a couple, announced their engagement and married.

"Hey Raven!" Terra shouted from the kitchen where she was helping Edwina. "What are you smiling about? You never smile!" The blond teased her.

Raven turned and looked at her one time rival. It was true that Terra wasn't happy when the then still Beast Boy broke up with her and later started a relationship with Raven, but in the long haul she let it go and chose not to hold a grudge against the grey Titan. Raven shrugged her shoulders and before she could answer Edwina Pennyworth announced that dinner was served.

_**-( - )-**_

"Bed time!" Raven announced as she shut off the TV in the small sitting area in their Tower apartment.

The children groaned but did not complain. They knew it was useless, at least with their mother. If they caught their father in a really good mood he might go to bat for them, and get them thirty extra minutes, but not tonight.

"You heard your mother. Now get ready for bed."

Within minutes the children had changed into their pajamas, brushed their teeth and were in their beds, which was the old bunk bed unit Garfield has when he was a teen. He kissed them good night.

"Hey, if there aren't any missions tomorrow and you get your homework done early, I'll take you to the movies, OK?" He offered.

They beamed back happily.

"Good night, kids." Raven kissed them goodnight.

As they headed back to their room he wrapped an arm around Raven's shoulder. "Anything you want to do tonight?"

She shook her head. "No … I don't know why, but I'm really tired."

"You want to hit the hay early?"

"I guess so." She yawned.

"You mean no nookie tonight?"

"I'm sorry, Gar; maybe tomorrow."

The Logans got into their bed. Raven's old hood shaped headboard was long gone and they now had a larger, maple wood four post bed. Raven curled up next to her husband; resting her head on his shoulder and draped an arm over his chest.

"You mind if I read?" He asked.

Raven didn't answer as she was already asleep.

"Wow. I guess you are pooped." He pecked her on her forehead before grabbing a graphic novel from his nightstand.

"I guess it's just you and me tonight, Captain Carrot." He chuckled to himself as he opened the book.

_**-( - )-**_

_The next morning …_

Raven yawned and stretched as she rolled over in her bed.

"I slept like a log … Gar?"

Raven noticed that he was gone. She figured that he probably took the kids down for breakfast. She stretched a second time before sitting up in the bed. That was when she noticed the something was wrong.

The four post bed was gone and she was sleeping in her old bed. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

"What the Trigon is going on here?"

She leaped out of her bed and looked around. Something was very wrong. Gar's desk was missing and none of his books or personal items were in the bookcase. Still confused she looked around the room. The door to the children's room was missing.

"Gar, if this is one of your stupid pranks I'm not laughing." She mumbled to herself.

She opened the door to the hallway. The elevator was right where it should be so she knew she was in her room and hadn't been moved. The door closed behind her and she saw that only her name was stenciled on the door. It merely said "Raven" and not "Gar and Raven Logan" like it did the night before.

She charged back into the room and opened the closet. As expected, his clothes were missing. She dressed quickly and headed back into the hall, towards the elevator. As she passed Terra's room she froze. The door was stenciled "Gar and Terra Logan."

"Ok, now I'm pissed. What the hell are you thinking Gar? This has to be your worst prank ever." She seethed.

Raven rode the elevator up to the common room level and charged in. Edwina was the first to notice her arrival.

"Good morning, Raven. I'll have some French toast ready for you in a moment. There's a pot of Earl Gray on the table."

But Raven didn't hear Edwina's greeting. She was too busy staring, unbelieving at the table. Gar and Terra were sitting next to each other, sharing a small laugh, after which she gave him a tender kiss on the lips, which he reciprocated. Raven felt her blood boil. What kind of stupid joke was this? But then she froze.

That was when she looked at the children. Both had blond hair. Had he really gone that far and bleached their hair? But then she took a closer look at the kids and had to stifle a gasp. These were not Coraline or Mark. How did she know? It was easy … they both looked like Terra.

The geomancer noticed her presence and smiled. "Morning Raven. Are you OK? You don't look so hot."

Gar gave her a curious look. Raven stared back dumbfounded at the older child.

"Coraline?"

The girl smiled at her. She had Terra's toothy grin.

"Are you OK, Aunt Raven? … you look sick."

Raven fainted and collapsed on the floor.

_**-( - )-**_

Raven woke with a start and gasped.

"Rave? What's the matter?" Her husband asked her in a drowsy voice.

Raven sat up and looked at her green mate who was also in the process of waking up. The clock on his nightstand said it was just past 2 AM.

"Azar! I had a nightmare."

He pulled her close to him. "It must have been a humdinger; you look like you saw a ghost."

"I think I did."

"What do you mean?"

She hesitated.

"Was it Trigon?"

She shook her head. "No, not him."

"Then what was it? Rave, you look pale, I mean, even by your usual standards."

"I don't know … my head hurts."

He caressed her scalp. "You have a bump on your head. Rave ... what kind of nightmare did you have?"

"It was nothing … let's just go back to sleep … please hold me."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. She suddenly felt safe and was soon back to sleep.

_**-( - )-**_

Raven opened her eyes. She was in the infirmary. Gar and Terra were at the side of her bed.

"Thank goodness, you woke up. You really bumped you head hard when you fainted." Gar sighed in relief.

"I fainted?"

"Yeah, you did. Coraline is worried about you. You are her favorite aunt." Terra remarked.

Raven sat up. "Nooo … this isn't right."

"What isn't right?" Gar asked.

Raven had a frustrated look on her face. "You aren't married to Terra."

The geomancer laughed. "Wow, you really did hit your noggin hard."

Raven glared at the blond. "You. Are. Not. His. Wife!"

Terra laughed a second. "I'm not!? So tell us then, who is BB's wife?"

"I AM!" Raven bellowed back.

_**-( - )-**_

The toughest thing about being a fanfic writer is coming up with an original story. It's especially difficult in a fandom like this one with over 30,000 stories. I hope this one is original enough to please you. And thanks in advance for all the reviews.


	2. Life is but a dream

"I AM his wife!" Raven bellowed back.

Her five teammates stared at her, their eyes darting back and forth to each other until they focused on the changeling. Knowing it was up to him, a small sigh escaped his lips as he stepped forward.

"Raven." He began in his most soothing voice.

She looked at him with a pleading look on her face.

"Gar, please tell me I'm not crazy."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course you're not … but …"

"But what?"

"Raven … why do you think we're married?"

The infirmary fell silent. Terra huddled with Nightwing and Starfire, exchanging hushed words. A slight frown appeared in Cyborg's face as he slowly shook his head.

"You mean … you don't remember?" She asked.

"We broke up over ten years ago … don't you remember?" He replied.

"You broke up with Terra!" She shrieked.

He shook his head. "I don't know what's happened to you … Cy … I think you'd better run some tests on …"

"I'm not crazy!"

"No one said you were."

He reached for her head and felt the bump she had. "You hit yourself pretty hard when you fainted."

"Beast Man is right." Nightwing interjected. "Plus you fainted for no apparent reason in the common room. I want Cyborg to run a full battery of tests on you, just to be safe."

"But Nightwing."

"I'm sorry Raven, but I'm afraid that's an order."

Looking defeated, Raven slumped her shoulders.

"I'm not crazy." She murmured. She then snapped her fingers and reached for her jeweled belt, opening a compartment in it. "I have proof."

"You do?" The changeling asked.

Raven pulled out a gold wedding band and a photograph, which she handed to him. "Check for yourself. You know I always keep my wedding band in my belt. Look at inside, our names and the wedding day are inscribed there."

The changeling lifted the band to his eyes and squinted. He shook his head.

"Terra, where is your wedding band?" He asked.

"You know I keep it in my utility belt."

"Could I take a look at it?"

She handed it to him. He took a quick look at it and handed it back to Terra before turning back to face Raven.

"Where did you get this ring?" He asked the sorceress.

"What do you mean? You gave it to me."

He heaved a huge sigh. "This is a perfect replica of Terra's ring."

"What are you talking about?"

He handed it back to her. "See for yourself."

She snatched the ring from him and examined it. Her eyes widened in horror as she read the inscription: _"Garfield and Tara, July 16, 2008"_

"Nooo" She whimpered before looking back up to him. "Look at the picture, Gar. Cyborg took it last year on our 10th anniversary."

He quickly looked at it before handing it picture back to her. She looked at the picture and and shrieked. The picture was as she remembered it; they had all gone out to Salvatore's Italian restaurant to celebrate. It was posed correctly; the children were in the right place as were Gar, Nightwing and Starfire. It was exactly as she remembered it … except she and Terra were transposed in the shot, with the smiling geomancer sitting next to the changeling as they exchanged a tender kiss. Raven's jaw began to quiver and she dropped the photo, which Cyborg picked up and examined.

"Raven, how did you get …" The tin man was interrupted by Nightwing, who made a gesture for him to stop speaking.

"Something's happened to you, Raven." The masked Titan spoke. "Cyborg needs to examine you … I'm sorry."

Nightwing turned to leave the room, followed by the others, leaving Raven and Cyborg behind in the infirmary. She looked up at her "big brother" with fear evident in her eyes.

"What's wrong with me?" She choked back a sob. "Victor, I remember everything … our wedding, giving birth to my two daughters."

"I know you do … but the thing is … those moments never happened."

"You're wrong … they did happen."

He quietly backed away and walked to a supply cabinet, which he opened. He pulled out a fresh hospital gown that was still wrapped in plastic and handed it to her. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we'll know what's going on, OK?"

Raven took the gown and pulled a privacy curtain in front of her. She quickly changed and pulled the curtain away. She had a scowl on her face. "You aren't gonna find anything."

He gestured for her to sit down.

"Maybe, but now I need a blood sample."

He inserted a needle into vein in her arm and drew a sample into a vial, which he plugged into an automatic analysis machine.

"While that's busy I want to check your brain with a CAT scan."

An hour later all the tests were done and they went over the results together. Raven smiled smugly, the tests showed that nothing was physically wrong with her.

"Now do you believe me?" She asked.

The tin man sighed. "I agree, the tests all came back negative. But, what you say happened didn't happen. None of us remembers your account of how things happened."

"Victor, I don't know how, but someone has done something to change everything to make it look like Gar is married to Terra."

He sighed again. "So you're saying that you and BB got married and had kids."

"Correct."

"And that their names are Coraline and Mark, just like BB and Terra's kids."

She bit her lower lip before replying. "I know this sounds crazy, but those are my kids, not hers."

"Then why do they look like her?"

"I can't explain it." She frowned. "But I will find an explanation, there has to be one. Those are not her kids, they're mine."

"And you remember giving birth to them?"

"Like it happened yesterday."

"So you remember the details, right?"

"Of course I do. Coraline was a normal vaginal birth. It took forever and was hard on me. Mark was breach and he was delivered via a C-section."

"Just like Terra gave birth."

"Except that Terra didn't bear them, I did."

Cyborg suddenly looked pensive. "I see … so … would you mind showing me your C-section scar?"

"If that's what it takes to get you to believe me, fine."

She raised her hospital gown and grabbed her underpants, pulling them away from her abdomen. She peered inside her panties and a puzzled look appeared on her face.

"No scar, huh?" He asked.

"I … I don't understand." She stammered.

"I'm sure that a vaginal exam will also show that you never given birth. I can have an Ob-Gyn come in if you'd like."

She buried her face into her palms. A few sobs escaped her lips. "Victor, what's happened to me?"

"I don't know … how about you get dressed, it's almost dinner time. We can tell everyone what we found and what the next step is."

"Next step?"

"Psychiatric evaluation."

She glared at him. "You want me to see a Trigon damned shrink?"

"I'm out of options Raven. I can't explain what's happening to you."

"So the only explanation is that I am crazy."

"No one's saying you're crazy. But something is going on inside that purple haired head of yours."

She snorted in disgust.

"Why bother? The shrink's just gonna say that I never came to terms with losing Gar to Terra and that now I've fabricated memories to console myself."

"I doubt it'll be that simple." He replied. "Come on, get changed, they're probably waiting for us."

_**-( - )-**_

All eyes were on Raven when she and Cyborg entered the common room. The Graysons had just finished setting the table while Beast Man and Terra were helping Edwina in the kitchen. Coraline ran up to Raven and wrapped her arms around the demoness.

"You're OK, right, Aunt Raven?"

Raven looked down to the child's face. While she saw Terra's features in the child, the girl also looked all too familiar. Her voice was as she remembered it as well.

"She's fine. How about we sit down and Raven and I will tell you all about it?"

Everyone took their place at the table and began to serve themselves from the platters set before them. Coraline was sitting next to her "aunt" and she beamed. "Edwina made Chicken Marsala. It's your favorite." The child enthused.

Raven smiled and caressed the crown on her head. "You're right, it is my favorite."

Garfield helped himself to some Tofu Marsala. "So what's the story?"

Raven sighed. "I'll keep it short. Physically, there's nothing wrong with me, so I'm going to have a psychiatrist evaluate me."

"We already made an appointment for her tomorrow."

Nightwing put his fork down. "Already? How did you find one so fast?"

The tin man leaned back in his chair. "It's a guy I saw after the accident, after my dad saved my life by making me … what I am now. His name's Steve Dunn. The guy knows his stuff, he'll figure out why Raven has all these false memories."

The changeling locked eyes with Raven. "I'm sorry, Raven."

She sniffled. "For what? Right now I can't remember how or why we broke up, but Cyborg told me that I dumped you. You have nothing to apologize for."

He shook his. "I know, I'm just sorry to see you going through this."

She gave him a weak smile. "I'm sure I'll get to the bottom of this and everything will be back to normal."

They talked no more about the subject during the meal. After dinner she was told to go rest and she went back to her room, where she planned on spending the rest of the evening meditating.

Her room was as she remembered it from years ago, when she was still a teenager. For some reason she found that to be unnerving and instead headed for the Tower's rooftop. The sun was just setting as she emerged from the stairwell, and the whole city was bathed in its warm, amber glow. After staring at the horizon for several minutes the sun dipped below it and the twilight settled in. She moved onto her favorite spot, where after adopting the lotus position she closed her eyes and began to repeat her mantra.

It seemed as if hardly any time had passed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She snapped out of her trance and looked up. It was Garfield. He had one of those warm smiles she loved so much on his face.

"It's past midnight. You weren't in your room, so I figured you'd be up here."

"You know me all too well, Garfield."

He sat down next to her.

"Are you OK?"

She shrugged. "I still can't remember what really happened."

"It's OK, I'm sure it'll all come back."

"What I do remember is that Terra dumped you, because she thought you liked me more than her. I'm guessing that it was the other way around."

He nodded. "It was."

"This is so strange. I have such vivid memories of us together. I even remember us having sex."

"We never did." He whispered.

"Makes sense … that's what I remember about you and Terra. She thought you were sleeping with me before you slept with her. Oh Gar, how did I get so messed up? And does Terra know you're here with me?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "She sent me to get you."

"I guess she trusts you more than I ever did." She lamented.

He took her hand as he stood up. "Let me walk you back to your room."

The two friends walked hand in hand down the now dark and silent hallways, until they reached her room. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Gar. You're a good friend."

"I'll always be your friend. Good night, Rave. Sleep well."

He pecked her on the cheek and left. She entered her room and suddenly felt very tired. She kicked off her boots and draped her cape and hood over a chair. Still wearing her white leotard she climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

_**-( - )-**_

She woke up the next morning, feeling relaxed and refreshed. She stretched and yawned and that was when she sensed that she wasn't alone. She rolled over and saw the Garfield was in bed with her. She quickly sat up, wondering what was going on when she noticed that they were in the four post bed. She gasped loudly, waking him up.

"Wassamatter Rave?" He slurred as he slowly blinked his eyes.

Raven bolted from the bed and ran into the children's room, where they were still asleep in their bunks … and they were the right color. Tears ran down Raven's face as she ran her fingers through the still sleeping Coraline's hair … her violet hair. Garfield followed her into the room.

"Rave? Is something wrong?"

She bolted past him back into their room. She picked up her jeweled belt and opened one of the storage compartments. A ring and a photograph fell out. She grabbed the photo first. The children were the right color and she was kissing Garfield. She fumbled with the ring, almost dropping it in the process. The inscription read: _"Garfield and Raven, July 16, 2008"_

"Raven! What's the matter?" He asked a second time.

She leaped on him, wrapping her arms and legs around his body.

"Nothing's wrong … everything is perfect."

She pressed her lips against those of her friend, lover and spouse. With her still wrapped around him he hobbled over to their bed, and they fell onto it together.

"You read my mind." She gasped between kisses. "When I'm done with you, you won't be able to walk."

"I love the way you think." He responded.

Just as she was peeling off his pajama top, there was a loud pounding on the door.

"Open up, Garfield! I know you're in there!" Terra shouted through the door.

"Well … that's a mood killer … can I get a rain check, babe?"

Raven stared at the door with a frown on her face. Terra continued to pound on the door. "Open this damn door or I'll rip it out."

The changeling ran to the door and opened it.

"What's with you, Terra? You're gonna wake the kids." He asked in a cross voice.

Terra shoved her way past him and made a beeline to Raven.

"I don't know what you did, you frakking witch, but whatever magic you did, I want you to undo it right now."

"I didn't do anything." Raven stammered.

"Terra, what the hell are you're talking about?" He asked.

"You mean you don't know?" She screamed.

The children wandered out of the room. Coraline saw the geomancer first. "What's the matter Aunt Terra, why are you mad?"

Terra glared at Raven. "You changed the children too!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU TERRA!?" He bellowed.

She charged up to him and poked him in the chest.

"I'll tell you what's going on! Last night when we went to bed, you were my husband and they were my children. This morning I wake up, alone, in my old room with my old furniture and you're in here with her." She looked at the bed. "You slept with her, didn't you?"

He shook his head, trying to make sense of what he had heard.

"Of course I slept with her! Why wouldn't I?"

Terra turned to Raven and glared at her. "If you so much as laid a finger on him, you're a dead woman."

Raven became wide eyed. "You mean … that wasn't a dream?"

"You mean when you pretended to be all messed up, thinking BB's your husband, yeah that wasn't a dream."

"I am her husband!" Beast Man shouted at the geomancer.

"Shut up, Garfield! You're already in the doghouse as far as I'm concerned. I don't care what kind of magic she used; you have no excuse for sleeping with her."

"Are you frakking nuts, Terra!?" He bellowed back.

"STOP THIS! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Nightwing bellowed from the doorway, wearing only his boxers. Starfire and their daughter were right behind him. "Tara, you'd better have a good explanation for this!"

She pointed at Raven. "She used magic to steal my husband from me!"

_**-( - )-**_

Another cliffhanger. Ain't I a stinker?

And thanks for the welcoming this story with so many views an reviews. I was afraid no one would like it.


	3. Two sides of the same coin

"STOP THIS! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Nightwing bellowed from the doorway, wearing only his boxers. Starfire and their daughter were right behind him, and Cyborg showed up as well. "Tara, you'd better have a good explanation for this!"

She pointed at Raven. "She used magic to steal my husband from me!"

Nightwing shook his head in dismay. "Terra … what you're saying makes no sense. Beast Man isn't your husband … he never was … he and Raven have been married for over ten years."

Terra turned back to face Raven. "I don't know what you did, witch, but unless you fix this right now, I'm gonna kill you!"

Grayson scowled. "Terra, either you back off right now or we're locking you up in one of the holding cells."

Terra glared at their leader. "I knew it; I knew you always liked her better."

"Enough!" Grayson shouted, before turning to Raven. "You said something about a dream?"

"I … last night I had an experience I thought was a dream … now I think it wasn't."

"Would you mind telling us what happened?"

Raven hesitated. "It's hard to explain."

"There's nothing hard about it." Terra interrupted. "It wasn't a dream. Raven woke up yesterday thinking she was married to BB."

"Terra … she is my wife." The changeling interjected.

Raven cleared her throat. "What Terra is saying is that somehow she and I shared an experience where our roles were reversed."

"The roles were correct, not reversed." The geomancer seethed. "BB was never your husband, he's always been mine."

"Whoa! I think you guys have been crossing dimensions." Garfield remarked. "You know, like parallel universes where things are almost identical."

Raven shook her head. "I don't think so, if Terra and I have been crossing dimensional boundaries there would have been two of us. If she crossed over to ours, there would be two Terras, likewise had I crossed over to hers there would have been two of me. That's not what's happening."

"Then what is happening?" Nightwing asked.

Raven shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. All I do know is that this happens when we go to sleep. Also, the timelines in the two realities aren't in sync. I spent over 14 hours in Terra's world, but when I woke up here, almost no time had passed by at all. Another thing I know is that any items I had on me were transformed to match the other reality."

"Raven, what do you mean?" Starfire asked.

Raven sighed before addressing the blond geomorph. "Terra, do you have your wedding band on you?"

"Of course I do. I always keep it in my utility belt when I'm not wearing it!" She snapped at the sorceress as she pulled it out. Her eyes widened in realization of what Raven was getting at, recalling the scene back at her Tower. She looked at the ring's inscription and frowned, before stuffing it back into her utility belt. "The same thing is happening to me. My ring has your name on it."

"Is it possible that this is all some kind of screwy illusion, where Raven's powers go haywire, you know, like when we watched Wicked Scary?" Cyborg asked.

"I suppose that it is a possibility." Raven replied quietly.

"Nuh uh! I know that I'm married to BB. My memories are not an illusion."

"It would explain why there is only one of each of you." Nightwing remarked.

"And who says this isn't the illusion? That it isn't some kind frakked up attempt by Raven's psyche to make her unfulfilled dreams reality." Terra bellowed.

Nightwing shook his head. "Come on, Terra. It's more than obvious that this world isn't an illusion."

Raven placed a hand on his arm. "No, Dick, she has a point. It is possible that what we are experiencing right now is an illusion."

"And what about our memories?" Cyborg asked.

"I could be affecting those as well."

Terra's nostrils flared. "Well how about you stop the illusion?"

Raven bit her lower lip. "At this point, I don't know what's going on. I wouldn't know what to stop."

"If this is really an illusion, then why did Rave visit your world?" The changeling asked.

"Duh! Because it's the real world."

"B has a point." Cyborg remarked. "So far you ladies have been spending equal time in each other's reality. I'll bet that after you go to sleep tonight, you'll both wake up in Terra's world."

An exasperated groan escaped from Terra's lips. "I just want this to end!" She then turned to glare at the changeling. "And no sex with her until we resolve this! I don't want you sleeping together either."

"Now wait a minute!" The changeling protested.

Raven placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "She has a point, Gar." She cast a glance at Terra. "Of course, the same applies to you when we're in your world, right?"

Terra crossed her arms and scowled. "Fine! We'll both be celibate until this gets resolved."

"And what if it never gets resolved?" Beast Man complained. "This isn't exactly fair to me or my counterpart, wherever he is."

Terra gnashed her teeth.

"Arrgh! OK! But don't you dare touch my BB, witch! He's mine, understood?"

"I don't think that will be an issue. If your Gar is anything like mine he would never dream of cheating on you."

"You'd better believe it, so don't even think of it, because if you do …"

"That'll be enough, Terra. It's been established that there won't be any poaching. What we need to do right now is figure out what's going on … Vic … can you get some outside scientific help, say from Star Labs? And Raven, you need to look into any magic that might be causing this."

Raven and the Tin Man both nodded.

"There's something else that requires the investigation." Starfire interjected. "Is this something that happened naturally, like when Raven's mind created the monsters after watching the movie or … is someone making this happen?"

"Slade has been laying low for a long time. I wouldn't put this past him. I'll look into that." Nightwing murmured. "I think we have our work cut out for us."

_**-( - )-**_

The T-Car pulled into the parking structure. The security guard recognized the driver, but requested to see an ID, which Cyborg provided with a smirk. After checking the ID he handed it back to the Tin Man and raised the entry barrier, instructing Cyborg to park in guest slot #19 on the fourth level. After he parked the car he, Raven and Terra egressed from the vehicle and made their way to the elevator.

Terra felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach, wondering what strange news the eggheads at Star Labs would give them. Before leaving she checked her powers and found them to be in full working order. Cyborg had already run a complete blood panel and a full CAT scan on her and found nothing out of the ordinary.

They crossed the bridge connecting the parking structure with the main lab building, where they were met by a Dr. Syverson, who welcomed them to the lab.

"We just had a new quantum chamber installed; fortunately it's large enough to accommodate a single person. Our old chamber was very small."

"You're gonna stick us into a chamber?" Terra asked with a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"Yes, Miss Markov, we're going to test your and Mrs. Logan's quantum signatures to see if your bodies are from this universe or not."

"I'm also Mrs. Logan." Terra growled at the lab coat wearing scientist.

Dr. Syverson smiled nervously. "Yes, of course. Cyborg did explain that to us."

"Perhaps it would be best if you just referred to us as Raven and Terra." The sorceress calmly suggested.

After walking through the building's maze like system of corridors and hallways they stopped in front of a large metal door. Dr. Syverson scanned his badge and it unlocked with a dull click. The door slid open, revealing a massive laboratory. There were all sorts of consoles and computer banks, full of flashing lights. In the middle of the room was what looked like a nuclear reactor, except that it had a heavy door on it that looked like something from a submarine.

There was a makeshift changing area in the corner of the room, and the scientist gestured at it.

"I'll need both of you to change into a hospital gown before going into the chamber. Wear only the gown please. There is an anteroom before entering the chamber. Remove your gown before entering the main chamber."

"You mean we have to be naked?" Terra complained.

"I'm afraid so, we wish to reduce any local interference as much as possible. The procedure will take about ten minutes. I'd like Miss Raven to go first.

Raven did as asked and after the procedure was done with er hospital gown back on and emerged from the chamber. Dr. Syverson and Cyborg were hunched over a console. As Raven came out Cyborg looked over at her.

"Did you eat anything when you were on Terra's side?" He asked.

"I did, why do you ask?"

"Cuz we found no trace whatsoever of even a single atom from another dimension."

He turned to Terra, who was standing with a frown on her face and her arms crossed.

"Ok, Rock and Roller, it's your turn."

The process was repeated for Terra, who impatiently burst out of the chamber when her turn was done.

"What did you find?" She asked in a clipped tone. The edge on her voice was more than evident.

"Nothing." Cyborg replied.

"Whadya mean, nothing?"

"Your body is from this dimension, sorry, Terra."

She became indignant. "So you're saying that I'm the one who's losing it?" She screeched.

"No one is saying that, Terra. I've been on your side of the fence, so I know it's real. But I have an idea … Cyborg, what is the quantum signature of this dimension? I'd like to take it to the other side to compare it."

Cyborg nodded. "Good idea, I'll print it out for you. It is a 5000 digit code."

A laser printer warmed up and it spewed out a couple of pages, which were covered in hexadecimal code. Raven picked them up and began to assiduously study them.

"What are you doing?" Terra asked.

"Memorizing it." She replied. "The codes might change if I take the sheet with me to the other side; in fact I'm certain they will."

"You're gonna memorize all that?"

"I have an eidetic memory, in case you forgot."

"I know you do, but … you're gonna memorize all that? It looks like gibberish."

"It's not easy, not even for me … now if you don't mind …"

Terra nodded. "Sorry, I'll get changed."

_**-( - )-**_

Raven slammed shut yet another one of her huge, ancient dusty books as her spouse brought the kids to her.

"Time to say good night to mom."

Raven looked up from her book and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Good night Coraline, good night Mark. I'm sorry I've been so busy tonight." She apologized as she kissed them good night.

"It's OK mom, we understand." Her violet haired daughter replied.

"OK, kids, off to bed. Mom and I need to talk."

The two superpowered tykes ran off to their room and closed the door behind them. Raven looked up at her mate.

"I'm afraid to go to bed … when I wake up you'll be married to her and they will be her kids. Gar … seeing Coraline with her face … it was …"

"I know, I understand … Raven … could you show me? I guess I'm kind of curious."

She nodded and took his now ungloved hand, placing it over her chakra stone, his fingertips gently touching it. In his mind's eye he saw amorphous forms which slowly took shape. It was Terra with a child on either side. He focused first on Coraline. Even though she was fair skinned and blond, with her mother's toothy grin, he immediately recognized her. She still had his nose and green eyes. Mark was also familiar in a similar way. Raven gently removed his fingers and the vision ended. He locked eyes with her.

"I understand why you're freaked out." He murmured. "I think I'm freaked out too. This isn't just a 'what would have happened had I stayed with Terra' … it's more than that. You've both been living lives that perfectly mirror each other. You both see each other as having stolen your life."

She sighed. "I'm worried that if I go there again, that I might not be able to come back."

"What would happen to us if you didn't come back?"

A worried look appeared on her face. "I don't know … you don't have any memory of when I'm gone … I guess that means you're in some kind of limbo while I'm on the other side … if it really is another side."

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "Gar, I'm so scared. I don't want to go to sleep; I don't want to wake up in a world where you love her and not me."

He ran his fingers through her shoulder length hair. "Everything is going to be fine. You'll figure out what's going on, you always do, you're the smartest person I've ever met, Rave."

"I've looked through my oldest books all afternoon, I haven't found anything that could explain what's happening."

He kissed on her forehead. "You look exhausted, let's go to bed."

She pushed him away. "No! If I fall asleep I'll wake up on the other side."

"Rave, you can't put off sleeping. And who says you can't continue your research when you're on the other side, maybe you'll find something there that isn't here. Now come on, everything will be fine."

Reluctantly she agreed and after they changed into their pajamas they got into bed. She rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling up close to him. She suddenly felt safe and soon dozed off.

_**-( - )-**_

Garfield woke up. The alarm clock showed that it was 6 AM, time to get up. His mate was still asleep next to him, and he smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair. She was sleeping peacefully, yesterday's chaotic event all but forgotten as she snored softly. If there was one thing he knew about her, is that she worried too much. He parted her hair and nuzzled the nape of her neck. She moaned softly but did not wake. His hand found her bare hip and he caressed her smooth skin, his palm wandering until it found one of her exposed butt cheeks, which he continued to caress. She stirred and rolled over; facing him as she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw his green face.

"Good morning, babe." He greeted her.

"Morning, hon." She replied. "You sleep well?"

"Like a baby." He replied as he gave her a deep kiss and he continued to fondle her. She smiled at him.

"The kids won't wake up for a while. You in the mood for quickie?" She asked.

He grinned back at her. "Always, babe, always."

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled their warm bodies together.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Terra purred into his ear.

_**-( - )-**_

Ha! I'll bet you thought he was with Raven, didn't you?


	4. Comrades

Their morning romp complete, and with the kids still asleep, Terra and her green husband showered together. As always after an early morning roll in the hay he seemed content and happy while he scrubbed her back. Terra would typically be in a similar mood. This morning, however, was different.

"Hey, babe, is something wrong?"

She hesitated at first.

"Gar, there's something I have to tell you."

His eyes widened. "I thought you were on the pill." He gasped.

She shook her head. "No, no, I'm not preggers. It's something else."

"What is it? Are you ill?"

"No, I'm fine … it has to do with Raven."

He frowned. "What is her problem? Oh I know, it's this stupid delusion of hers. I thought she was gonna see a shrink about that."

"Gar … it isn't a delusion."

His frown increased. "What the hell has she been telling you?"

The water drops still raining down on them, she placed a hand on his arm.

"I've been on the other side."

"What other side? What are you talking about?"

Terra shut off the water, the remnants of which dripped down her body.

"Gar, I know this sounds crazy, but I've been to this … I don't know … 'reality?' where she's married to you and I'm single."

"Terra, that's ridiculous."

"I was there."

"You think you were there. You have no idea of just how powerful Raven's mind is. She probably made you hallucinate. And when exactly did you go there? I don't recall you being absent."

"I don't exactly know, I guess it was last night after I fell asleep."

He crossed his arms. "See, it was a dream. One that Raven created in your mind."

"Are you saying that she's doing this on purpose?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. You remember when I told you about the Wicked Scary incident?"

She crossed her arms. "If I recall correctly she only created monsters unintentionally. This is different. Only Raven and I are aware of the changes."

"Terra, I'm telling you, it isn't real."

Raven says she has proof that it is real.

The changeling sighed. "Fine, let's get dressed and discuss this with the others over breakfast."

_**-( - )-**_

"Now that's what I call a real breakfast." Cyborg groaned happily. "But what I want to know is why you two ladies hardly ate anything. I even made your favorites. Bacon and eggs for Terra and waffles and sausage for Raven. I even made my cheesy hash browns, you ladies love that stuff, so what gives?"

Raven looked down at her nearly untouched plate but said nothing. Terra did the same before clearing her throat.

"Sorry Vic, it looks and smells delicious, but this morning I don't have any appetite … because I have something to say that's gonna sound really weird … I've been to Raven's reality."

Grayson wasn't wearing his mask and he raised an eyebrow in response to the remark. "Raven's reality?"

Terra groaned. "Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but last night I woke up in a world where Raven and BB are married and have kids. She was there too."

Cyborg tapped on his left forearm and a panel popped out. He typed a few commands with his right hand. After a few seconds he shook his head.

"According to the Tower's security sensors, you ladies were here all night. You never left the Tower or even your rooms. Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"

"Are you saying we both had the same dream?" Raven asked with a hint of impatience in her voice.

"It's possible Raven. You do have the ability to enter other people's minds. You've been in mine after all." Grayson interjected.

"Not involuntarily." She snapped at him.

"Are you sure? You do remember the Wicked Scary incident, right?"

"I remember it well. It wasn't a dream and I didn't create any monsters. I would know if it was a dream!" She hissed at him

He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Whoa! Raven, relax. I'm sure you're convinced that this all is real …"

"It is real." Terra snapped.

"Then why can't we remember anything?" Beast Man remarked. "Then again, maybe that's for the best." He glanced at the sorceress. "No offence, Rave; but I can't imagine being married to you. I mean … we're so different and well … romantically incompatible."

"In my world you think just the opposite. When we married you said that I complemented you and made you complete."

Nightwing leaned forward. "This all sounds theoretically fascinating. I'm certain you ladies both remember all this quite vividly, but we have no proof of any kind that your memories are real, and given Raven's track record I have to assume that they aren't real."

The gray demoness glared at her leader's not so underhanded accusation.

"I'm sorry Raven, but we need some kind of tangible proof before we can move forward on this, if there even is anything we can do about it."

"Raven brought some proof with her." Terra interrupted.

"You did? What kind of proof?" Cyborg asked.

Raven pulled an envelope out of a pocket in her cape. "In the other reality you took us to Star Labs to have our quantum signatures checked out. They matched the other reality." She handed the envelope to him. "So I memorized the code on the other side and wrote it down when I woke up this morning."

Cyborg opened the envelope and pulled out the sheets which were covered in hexadecimal codes. After a few seconds he dropped it on table.

"Sorry Raven, that code is this dimension's signature. You guys didn't go anywhere."

"How do you explain how I got this code?" She snapped at him.

"I can't explain. Maybe you saw it before somewhere else. Maybe you read someone's mind. Maybe you read it in a book while in a trance. It doesn't matter, Raven; that code is for this dimension. You ladies haven't been doing any dimensional hopping."

Raven slumped into her chair. "And yet, I know that when I wake up tomorrow, I will be in bed with my husband."

"And I'll be single." Terra added. "I can't speak for Raven, but all this flip flopping is already driving me nuts, I don't want to deal with this any longer."

Nightwing rose from chair. "Raven, you have an appointment today if I am not mistaken."

She glared back at him. "This is not something that a psychiatrist can solve!"

"So you're not going to keep that appointment?"

"It would be a waste of time." She calmly replied in her monotone. "As you can plainly see I am neither disturbed nor perturbed, nor do I suffer from any form of neurosis."

Grayson's face betrayed the impatience he was feeling. "I was afraid it would come to this. I could order you to go see the shrink, but I know it would be pointless since you won't cooperate with him. Anyway, I spoke with BumbleBee last night about this and we made a contingency plan. Pack your bags; you're off to Titans East until this gets resolved."

"Dick! What the hell?" Terra complained. "You can't just ship her off like that."

"I'm sorry, but Raven clearly has a problem with you and Gar being married. Removing her from this environment is the only thing we can do for now. Aqualad will be taking Raven's place until further notice."

"You can't do this to me." Raven seethed.

"I can and I just did. Raven, I'm sorry, but you can't have any contact with Terra or Beast Man until you willingly see a psychiatrist and solve this problem. This course of action doesn't make me happy, but you leave me no other choice."

Raven crossed her arms and sighed. "Ok, you win; I'll go see a shrink."

"In Steele City. Once the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, you can come back."

Raven rose from her seat and balled her fists. "I see I have no choice in the matter. Thanks a lot for the support, Dick. I'll go pack my belongings."

"Raven … I am supporting you … this is for the best. You will come back when this is over."

Without saying a word Raven stormed out of the common room. Terra glared at Grayson. Balling her own fists she snarled at him. "You clueless windbag!" She then followed Raven out of the room, which fell silent until the changeling cleared his throat.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when Terra would stand up for Raven."

_**-( - )-**_

Raven was about to enter her room when she heard Terra's voice approaching her. "Raven, wait!"

She waited for the geomorph to catch up with her. "We're not supposed to be together." She announced in her deadpan.

"Screw that! We both know that tomorrow we're gonna wake up on your side."

Raven opened her door. "Come in, and don't touch anything."

Terra, wide eyed, followed Raven into her spooky abode, keeping a healthy distance between herself and Raven's strange collection of books and bric-a-brac. The demoness gestured and dozens of candles lit spontaneously.

"Yes, the room is creepy. As you already know, it isn't like this on the other side."

"I've never been in here before. Do you really like all this creepy stuff?" Terra stammered nervously.

"I do, but I put most of it into storage after I married Gar."

Terra rubbed her temples. "OK, I can accept that he's yours on the other side, but; it's still weird and unnerving."

Raven locked eyes with her. "Ditto … Terra, we are going to have to work together to get through this … weirdness."

"You mean nightmare."

"He's still mine half the time, so no; we're not quite at the nightmare stage yet."

"More like a 'this sucks crap' stage."

Raven paused before nodding. "I guess that's one way of describing it."

"So what do we do?"

"Research. I'll research into any sort of magical explanation for what's happening … and Terra …"

Raven paused again.

"What?" Terra asked.

"Terra … it's possible that Nightwing is right, that somehow I'm causing all of this to happen."

Terra gave her a shocked look. "Really? You mean that your side isn't real?"

"Maybe … or maybe your side isn't real."

The geomorph became indignant. "No way, I've been married to BB for 10 years. I gave birth twice … there's no way that wasn't real … I remember both times vividly."

"My own memories are just as vivid. Don't misunderstand me, Terra, I think that both realities are true. But we need to be aware that there is a remote chance that Dick is right. But until we find out what is going on we'll just have to learn to live with the situation. And hopefully we won't be separated on the other side and we'll be able to work together if I find out what's going on."

"You mean you won't be able to fix it with one of your 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos' spells?"

Raven bit her lower lip. "Terra, at this point I don't even know if there is a solution for our problem, but if there is and it's magical in nature, then it's almost certain that you'll somehow be involved in breaking the spell."

Raven's communicator chirped. It was Cyborg.

"Hey little lady, how are you doing?"

"How am I doing? I just got kicked out of my home, how should I be doing?"

Cyborg nodded in understanding. "Sorry, that was a dumb question. I was just calling to let you know that Aqualad's arriving in about two hours. Bumblebee is expecting you to leave as soon as I refuel their T-Ship. Do you need any help packing?"

"I have it under control. Don't worry; I'll be ready on time."

Raven flipped her communicator shut. "Oh Joy, I get to go live with Karen and her spastic team."

_**-( - )-**_

The T-Ship's autopilot chirped, alerting Raven that she was near her destination and it was time for her to take over the controls. She looked down from her cockpit and saw Steele City below her, and with it the T shaped structure that would be her new home, at least on this side of the fence. She flipped a switch, turning off the autopilot and placing her hands on the controls she banked the T-Ship, which began a quick descent to the tower below.

She landed uneventfully and was greeted by Bumblebee in the hangar. Karen Beecher, like all off the other Titans, had grown and matured. She stood at a statuesque six feet, two inches and towered over diminutive Raven.

"Welcome to Titans East, Raven. I'm really excited that you've come to our team. It's nice to have another woman join Titans East." Karen extended her hand to Raven, who politely shook it.

"We both know why I'm here. But do not worry; I will do my best to fit in."

Karen smiled. "Raven, I'm serious about being happy that you're here. I really don't care about why Nightwing sent you here. I've always liked you, and unlike Grayson or the others in Jump I think you're an asset. When he called, asking if I would trade Aqualad for you, well, he didn't have to ask me twice."

Raven looked puzzled. "I'm sorry if I sound confused … you mean you weren't happy with Aqualad? I thought he was an exemplary Titan."

Karen waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "Garth is fine, but you know … he's a guy."

Raven smiled slightly. "You mean he's a hunky guy."

Karen blew a raspberry. "Yeah, whatever … he thought he was Neptune's gift to the world. Come on, I want to show you to your new room."

_**-( - )-**_

_Next morning …_

Raven woke with a start. She sat up in her bed, quickly taking in her surroundings. The first thing she confirmed was that she wasn't alone in her bed. Her green mate was right where he was supposed to be, snoring softly. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She pecked him on the cheek before gliding out of their bed. She quickly visited the bathroom and dressed. She rummaged through the chest where Malchior's book was still imprisoned, collecting some materials, which she stuffed into a knapsack and went straight to Terra's room. She gently tapped on the door, which opened, revealing Terra's still pajama clad figure, who gestured for her to enter.

"So, how did it go with Titans East?" The blond asked.

Raven began to unpack her bag on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"It was OK. I learned something interesting about Bumblebee."

Terra smiled. "What do you mean?"

Raven pulled the last item out of the bag. "I think she's a lesbian."

Terra laughed. "A lesbian? Are you serious?"

"When she showed me my room, she hit on me. I guess since I didn't have a boyfriend in your world she thought I was one too. I guess she thought I was faking it when I dated Gar."

"That must have been embarrassing. I guess it explains why she always turned Cyborg and the Herald down for dates."

"It was for her … anyway, she left me alone after that, which was good. After researching for a few hours I found an interesting test we can do."

Terra furrowed her brow. "A test? What kind of test?"

"A test that will determine if some kind of spell or curse has been cast on both of us, as a pair."

"Well, I guess that's a start."

"It's a big one. Knowing if magic is involved will help get us going down the right road."

Raven placed a silver bowl on the table. She then emptied the sandy contents of several small pouches in to the bowl, each one a different color. As she mixed them with a golden spoon the contents sparkled and made crackling sounds. Satisfied that it was properly mixed she picked up a small knife that had strange runes on its handle. Terra grimaced as Raven made a small cut on her palm and a few drops of her blood dripped into the bowl. She wiped the blade clean and handed it to Terra.

"Your turn."

Terra looked warily at the knife. "Why is your magic always so creepy?"

"It's not 'my magic', it's just how magic works. I'm sorry if you feel squeamish about this, but do you want to find out or not?"

Terra sighed unhappily and pressed the blade against her palm. Clenching her teeth she made a small cut, after which she dripped some of her blood into the bowl. Raven took the blue bottle and poured some of its contents over the dust and blood.

Terra watched with a jaundiced eye. At first nothing happened and she frowned. Then, with no warning a small tornado formed in the bowl, lifting its dusty contents into a whirlwind. It changed colors, cycling through the hues of the rainbow. As they watched it took form, the shape of a woman's face. Raven pulled out a camera and snapped a picture of the stranger just before it collapsed back into the bowl.

"What was that?" Terra asked breathlessly.

"That is the woman who cast the spell on us."

Terra looked perplexed. "Why would she do that? And who is she?"

Raven shook her head. "I've never seen her before, and I have no idea of why she did this."

She turned and looked Terra in the eyes.

"But we're gonna find out."

_**-( - )-**_

I hope I haven't lost your interest. Story traffic and reviews have tapered off a bit.


	5. The Wife and The Old Flame

After Raven collected her magical materials she headed back to her room, where she found her spouse getting ready for the day. The bathroom door was open and she could see he was clad only in his boxers. As she entered the room he turned off his shaver.

"There you are." He greeted her. "Where did you go?"

She dropped her knapsack on her desk.

"I was with Terra."

"I see; so, have you made any progress? Were you in her world last night?"

"I was."

"How did it go?"

She shook her head. "Not well. First of all it has the same quantum signature as ours."

He frowned. "So maybe it is just an illusion."

"That's what they think on the other side. They think this world is a manifestation of some neurosis of mine and isn't real."

"Hey, I know this world is the real one." He snapped.

She sighed. "They are just as convinced that their world is the real one. And I've lost all credibility on that side. If Terra and I are going to work together, it will have to be on this side, since I've effectively been banished over there, sent over to Titans East and ordered to receive psychotherapy."

Gar stifled a laugh. She responded with a glare.

"Oh … so you think I should see a shrink too?"

"Of course not. So … what's it like with Titans East? You know, actually being a member of their team."

"Just peachy. As soon as I arrived, Bumblebee hit on me."

Beast Man let a guffaw escape his lips. "So she's finally out of the closet."

"You mean you knew? Since when?"

"A long time. Mas y Menos told me once. She's been pretty good at hiding it, but when the twins became teens they figured it out."

"And why wasn't I told?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, I guess I figured it was idle gossip and really none of my business anyway. I'm sure Nightwing knows too.

"I suppose the common wisdom on the other side is that I'm one too since I've never had a boyfriend over there."

"You mean you're a virgin on the other side?"

"I guess the other Raven is."

"So what happened to her, and what happened to our Terra?"

She sighed. "I have no idea. Terra and I will have to work together and figure that out."

A grin appeared on his face.

"So, you and Terra working together? Who would have thought? So what were the two of you doing this morning?" He glanced at Raven's knapsack. "Performing some magic?"

She sat down at her desk. "Yes, I performed a spell to see if someone is using magic to make this reality flip-flopping happen. Turns out I was right. A woman is behind all this."

"A woman? Who is she?"

"I saw her face. I didn't recognize her, but I took a picture. After breakfast I was going to use Cyborg's new facial recognition software. Hopefully she's on a database somewhere."

He moved towards her desk.

"Whoa! You got a picture? Can I see it?"

Raven nodded. She pulled the camera out of her knapsack and docked it on a small printer on her desk. She pressed a button on the printer which whirred to life. After several seconds a page was printed. She grabbed it and checked it.

"It looks grainier than I remembered. It was formed from sand, after all." She remarked as she handed it to him. He furrowed his brow as he examined it.

"You're right; it looks like a sand sculpture." Suddenly his eyes widened.

"You recognize her?" She gasped.

"No. Freaking. Way. It can't be her."

"You know her? Who is she?" Raven snapped.

"I don't believe it."

Raven's eyes glowed red. "Who is she?"

"It can't be her." He replied in a befuddled tone.

Raven was now sporting four crimson eyes. "Garfield Mark Logan, tell me who that is, or so help me …"

He looked up from the page into her four eyed face. He didn't even flinch. After a decade of marriage the four eyed glare no longer affected or scared him.

"Her name is Jillian Jackson."

"Jillian Jackson? That name doesn't ring a bell. How do you know her?" She asked.

The changeling sweat dropped, knowing he was walking on thin ice.

"I, uh, know her from before we met each other, before I came to Jump City." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Raven frowned. "That's not what I meant. What kind of relationship did you have with her?"

The changeling began to hem and haw. "Uh … that's … uh … complicated."

She intensified her frown at him. "Garfield …"

He slumped his shoulders as he capitulated. "She was my girlfriend."

Raven's frown morphed into a glare. "You had a girlfriend before we met? How come you never told me about her?"

He tapped his fingers together. "Rave, it was just, you know, puppy love. We didn't do anything, I mean other than kissing a few times."

"You kissed her? You kissed another woman and you kept this a secret from me?"

It was his turn to frown. "You're making a mountain out of a molehill … I can't believe that you're jealous of a thirteen year old girl. I mean it when I say nothing happened … I mean, come on, we were only thirteen years old. Her dad broke us up; he said he didn't want his daughter hanging around a failed, green freak."

Raven's expression changed. "He said that about you? He called you a freak?"

"Yeah, he did … he didn't seem to mind my powers and greenness so much when the show was still being filmed. But after it was scrubbed and I lost my job he changed his tune fast. I went from hero to zero."

"Show? What show? Garfield, how many other secrets do you have? Don't tell me that there were other women before me."

He shook his head. "I haven't had any other girlfriends, except for Terra, but you already know about that. As for the show, it was a Star Trek knock off. Production was cancelled after a lawsuit was filed, the show never aired. I played a character called Ensign Tork."

Raven now sported an amused look on her face. "You were a TV star?"

"You aren't a TV star if your show is never aired. And my role was pretty minor. I was the ship's helmsman. Other than saying 'Aye, Captain' my only other line was "He's dead, captain." which I would say every time a red shirt was killed."

Raven shook her head while a small smile formed on her face. "Were you ever going to tell me about that?"

He smiled back at her. "I was, eventually. I have all the unaired episodes on DVDs. Would you like to watch one?"

Raven's smile disappeared. "Not now. What I really want to find out is why this Jillian cast a spell on Terra and me."

He shook his head. It doesn't make sense, Rave. Jill isn't into magic. She was just an ordinary girl."

"For all you know she's a sorceress."

He shook his head again. "I don't think so. I mean if she was, she would have tried something to keep me in Los Angeles. She was pretty upset when I told her I was leaving for Jump."

"Did you stay in touch with her?"

"I did, until Terra first showed up. By that point we were hardly writing to each other anymore. I didn't hear again from her until years later when she mailed me a wedding announcement."

"She's married?"

"Yup, she also sent birth announcements later. She and her husband have three kids … Raven … there's no way it could be her. She was the one who suggested we stop writing to each other and to be honest, I was OK with that."

Raven pursed her lips. "Then why did the spell identify her?"

"Maybe she's the Jillian from the other world? Or maybe she's just someone who looks like her."

Raven crossed her arms and shook her head.

"I doubt she's a look alike, that would be too big of a coincidence. Anyway, I can't look into the other JIllian until tomorrow when we're on the other side. I'll have Terra ask your counterpart about Jill and I'll look her up on the database over there."

Raven sighed as she opened one of her dusty books. To her surprise, her husband gently closed the book.

"Gar, I need to do some research."

He smiled that mischievous grin that both excited and frightened her.

"I think we need to do something else."

She rolled her eyes. "How can you think of that at a time like this?"

"I can't think of a better time … you've been really distant since this ordeal began. You're tense and preoccupied. You need to relax for a bit. And I'm the man for the job, I'm just what you need."

A small smile appeared on her face. "You're such a horn dog."

"Don't tell me you don't like it."

"I never said that I didn't."

"So what are we waiting for?" He grinned seductively.

"What about the kids?"

"They're already dressed, with Edwina, having breakfast, after which she's going to homeschool them for a couple of hours … you're all mine babe … and no distractions."

Raven began to trace her index finger over his bare chest.

"Now that you mention it, it does sound …"

She was interrupted by the crime alarm's flashing red lights and blaring klaxons.

"No distractions?" She smiled at him.

"Dammit!" He complained as he quickly got dressed. "Sometimes I think Jump's underworld is out to get us."

"They are out to get us, just not in this way." She remarked as she slipped on her cape. "Hang in there, lover boy; the day is still young."

**_-( - )-_**

_Later that day, after they returned from a routine bank robbery mission …_

It was a crisp autumn afternoon in Metropolis, and the leaves on the trees on Skyline Drive were beginning to change color. A BMW X5 with a soccer mom at the wheel zoomed down the street and as soon as it passed a black hemisphere rose out of the sidewalk. It evaporated away, revealing a short gray woman who was wearing a white leotard, boots and cape.

Raven checked the address of the house in front of her and verified that she was at the right place. The neighborhood was very upper middle class, with its large, elegant and well kept homes with their manicured yards. The owner of the house in front of her was an orthopedic surgeon, who no doubt earned a handsome income, judging by the Mercedes parked in the driveway.

Raven reached out with her empathic senses. As expected, he wasn't home; but his wife was. She was hard to read from the sidewalk and after repeating her attempts Raven decided that she required a closer look.

Barely hovering over the ground she glided to the front door. Again she scanned with her senses. The woman was there, but she needed to be face to face with her if she wanted to get a good read on her. She reached for the doorbell button and pressed it.

Within seconds a blond woman opened the door. She had a puzzled look on her face.

"Do I know you?" She asked the hooded stranger, whose face was hidden behind her hood.

Raven reached out fully with her empathic powers. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved with what she found, or to be more precise, didn't find.

"Forgive me; I think I'm at the wrong house." She apologized before turning to leave.

She was halfway back to the side walk when the housewife called out to her.

"You're Garfield's wife, aren't you?"

Raven stopped in her tracks, debating what to do next. She turned around and walked back to the door.

"I am." She replied as she lowered her hood.

"Uh … would you like to come in?"

"I think I already more than violated your privacy." Raven replied. "It would be best if I left."

The blond shook her head. "It's not a problem … please come in. There's something I need to ask you."

Raven accepted her invitation and entered her house. She was led to a very elegant living room.

"I'm glad you came … it's Raven, correct?"

"Yes, Miss Jackson, I'm Raven Logan."

"Just call me Jill. And I haven't used my maiden name since I married. I go by my husband's name, Chamberlain, these days. Forgive me for getting to the point, Raven, but your presence here; it seems to be more than a coincidence."

"A coincidence? A coincidence with what?"

"You tell me, why are you here?"

"I will tell you, if you will tell me why you aren't surprised to see me."

"Fair enough, you have a deal. But you go first."

Raven nodded. "I came to check if you have magical powers. I have already determined that you don't."

Jillian gave her a puzzled look.

"You seem disappointed, Jill."

"No, it's not that, it's just that I've had some odd experiences lately."

"I see. Would you care to share them?"

Jillian sighed. "It has to do with Garfield. You have to understand that he hasn't been on my mind a whole lot lately. I think the last time I heard anything from him was when I received your wedding announcement in the mail years ago. I was engaged at the time. I was happy for him, but you know, when you leave a guy behind you kind of forget about him and you don't think about him all that much anymore. Except, until the weird stuff began to happen."

"Weird stuff? What do you mean?"

"Well, just because I don't think about Garfield doesn't mean that I don't remember that you're his wife. That is until one day I was watching the news and there was a human interest story about the Titans. I was actually going to change the channels, but my oldest daughter asked me to leave it on. She knows Garfield and I dated when we were very young and she's kind of infatuated with him. Anyway, we watched the story and I was caught by surprise, because the reporter said that Garfield was married to Terra."

Raven's eyes widened.

"I remember saying out loud that I never heard about Garfield divorcing you. And that was when the strange thing happened: my daughter said the Garfield was never married to you. That really bugged me, as I was positive he was married to you. I would have checked the wedding announcement, but unfortunately I didn't save it. Still, curiosity got the best of me. So the next day I did a Google search and the results said you and Garfield were married. I called my daughter over to show her that she and the reporter were wrong, but she claims that never said he was married to Terra, and that in the news story it was stated that he was married to you. But then, the next day I checked again, and he was married to Terra."

Jillian carefully examined Raven's now stoic face.

"You aren't surprised by this, are you?"

Raven stood up. "Something strange is afoot, Jill, and in some way and I don't know how, you're at the center of it."

Jill looked shocked.

"I am … but how?"

"Whatever is happening is magical in nature and it involves you somehow. I'm afraid that is all I can tell you at this point, except that Terra and I are also experiencing these shifts. I will keep you up to date if I discover anything new."

Without saying another word Raven vanished into portal that appeared behind her. Jill stared wide eyed as the portal vanished and she slowly shook her head.

"Garfield, you have the strangest taste in women I have ever seen."

**_-( - )-_**

_Later that evening …_

Raven moaned as she closed yet another book.

"Rave, just come to bed. You're tired."

"Yes, I'm tired. And if I come to bed I'll fall asleep and wake up in Steele City."

"I know, but you're tired. Come on, it's late."

A tiny sigh escaped her lips. "I'm coming."

She snuggled up next to him. "I didn't tell you this, but I went to see Jillian today."

He rolled over and looked her in the eyes. "When did you do that?"

"After we got back from dealing with the bank robbers."

He sat up. "Wait a minute, after we got back we had some 'quality time'. Don't tell me you left after I feel asleep?"

"I did."

"So you had to go check her out."

"I just wanted to see if she has any magical powers."

He crossed his arms. "And you found out that she doesn't have any."

She pursed her lips. "Correct."

He grinned triumphantly. "Told you. She's perfectly ordinary."

"Actually, she's not."

"How could she not be ordinary? What are you talking about?"

She sat up in the bed as well. "I rang the door bell at her house. She recognized me and invited me in. She's actually quite pleasant."

"So what's different about her?"

She turned and looked him in the eyes. "She's also making the reality jumps."

"So she is behind the weirdness."

"I don't think so, at least not this Jill."

"So you think it's the other Jill? Oh wait, there isn't another Jill, she's bouncing with you and Terra."

Raven shook her head. "I think there is another Jill involved, but she's not in Terra's reality."

"If she's not there, then where is she? And who is she?"

Raven put her head back down on the pillow. "I don't know … but I will find out."


	6. Hop, hop, where will you stop?

An alarm clock trilled, disturbing the predawn silence in the bedroom, echoing louder and louder. Garfield rolled over and moaned unhappily.

"What time did you set it for?" He protested as he buried his head under his pillow.

Terra fumbled for the clock in the still dark room and hit the snooze button. The clock boldly announced that it was 4:30 AM.

"Sorry, hon. I set it to the wrong time. Go back to sleep." Terra purred to her mate.

The changeling rolled over and after mumbling something unintelligible was back in slumber land within a minute. Terra stealthily rose from the bed, careful to not wake him. She retrieved her night gown from the floor and slipped it on before heading to the bathroom, where she carefully prepared herself for the day.

It was now almost 5 AM and she slipped out of the room. She walked quietly down the hallway until she reached Raven's old room, which was currently unoccupied. She checked the door and found it was unlocked. It slid open and she entered the brightly lit room. Raven was sitting at her desk and turned to greet her one time rival.

"Good morning." She greeted the geomancer in her monotone.

Terra shut the door behind her. "How long have you been here?"

"Almost an hour. But I've already been up for three."

"You got away without being noticed? It's 8 AM in Steele City."

"I officially went out to run an errand. I left Bumblebee a note saying I wouldn't be back until noon."

Terra sat on a chair next to her. She noticed that Raven was perusing some pictures on her terminal. "What are you looking at?"

"Your wedding pictures." She replied as she turned the flat screen display towards Terra. "Notice anything odd?"

Terra squinted as she stared at the screen. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Something that doesn't belong there."

Terra stifled a gasp when she saw that Jillian was in the group photo, to the far right. She had a not so nice smile on her face. Raven nodded. "I saw her last night in my wedding group picture too. She was standing in the very same place."

Raven moved the mouse and clicked. The photo printer whirred to life and printed a glossy 8x10 of the group picture. Raven grabbed it and slid it into a manila envelope.

"What are you going to do with that?"

Raven made eye contact with the geomancer. "It's 8 AM in Metropolis. We're going to show this to Jillian."

_**-( - )-**_

A school bus pulled away from the curb and as soon as it went around a corner a dark hemisphere rose from the house's front porch, and vanished. Raven and Terra stood at the front door. The gray Titan seemed tranquil while Terra looked clearly uncomfortable. The sorceress reached for the doorbell and pressed it. Some bells could be heard chiming and the sound of footsteps approaching the door were heard.

The door opened, revealing a tall man with dark hair. He looked to be in his mid forties.

"Dr. Chamberlain, I presume?" Raven droned in her monotone.

Jill's husband gave the two women an odd look, until he recognized them.

"You're Titans, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are. We would like to have a word with your wife, if you don't mind."

He frowned at the two heroines. "Do you have a court order?"

"We are not here on official Titan's or police business. Jill dated my … I mean Terra's husband a long time ago. This is strictly a social visit."

Before he could reply Jill came to the door.

"Raven, it's nice to see you again. And you must be Terra." Jill greeted them. "Roger, don't tell me you weren't going to invite them in?"

"Of course I was." He hemmed and hawed.

Jill's husband stepped back from the door and gestured to the two women, inviting them into the house.

"I have to run to the office, Jill. I don't have any appointments later in the day, so I'll be home early this afternoon."

He nodded at the two Titans. "Raven, Terra, it was a pleasure to meet you."

He kissed his wife goodbye and headed into the garage. Moments later his Mercedes was roaring down the street. Jill led them to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?"

The two women accepted her hospitality. As Jill poured the coffee Raven cleared her throat.

"So, I take it that you remember my visit yesterday?"

"I do … I haven't checked yet, but I'm guessing we all hopped last night."

"We did." Terra replied.

Jill set the coffee mugs down on the kitchen table. Raven picked up her mug and blew the steam off it. She took a careful sip. Jill offered them some croissants, which they accepted and ate.

"So, have you learned anything since yesterday?" Jill asked.

Raven looked up at her. "Have you ever been to Jump City?"

Jill shook her head. "I can't say that I have. Why do you ask?"

Terra took the envelope from Raven and pulled the photo out of it. She laid it before Jill, who examined it. She saw Garfield and Terra, the groom and bride, in the middle of the picture. She frowned.

"I remember being invited to Gar and Raven's wedding, but not yours."

Terra frowned at her remark.

"Do read too much into that remark, Terra. Jill might simply be from my reality, and the Jill from yours, like my counterpart, is missing." Raven looked towards Jill. "I recall that you did not RSVP."

Jill pursed her lips. "I was eight months pregnant and …"

Her eyes became wide when she saw herself in the picture. "That's impossible."

"We think it wasn't you or your counterpart." Terra interjected.

Jill shook her head. "Then who is she?"

"We don't know. She also appears in my wedding photos. The oddest thing is that neither Terra nor I remember seeing her at the wedding or in pictures for that matter, that is until today."

Jill shrugged. "Maybe you forgot? I mean … we never met before, right?"

"Raven doesn't forget things. Her mind's like a steel trap."

Jill looked confused. "So what does this mean?"

"It means that someone like you, a transdimensional twin, inserted herself into our realities and she somehow blocked our memories of her."

"Say what?"

"What Raven is saying is that this doppelganger of yours is trying to change the past."

Jill shook her head. "Why would she do that? I'm happily married to Roger … why would I want to change anything?"

Raven placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are happy, but maybe she isn't. Maybe, wherever she's from, she isn't married to Roger."

Jill frowned at Raven. "Are you saying that I'm trying to steal Garfield from you?"

Raven shook her head. "No, of course not. Remember, while she is identical to you, she is a different person and at this point we don't know what her motives are."

Jill crossed her arms. "So what you're saying is that we're stuck."

Raven reached into her knapsack and pulled out a pair of shears. "Actually … no."

Jillian eyed the scissors warily. "Uh … what are you going to do with those?"

"I need a lock of your hair." Raven replied in her deadpan monotone.

"You need what?" Jill was unable to hide her concern. "What are you gonna do with it? Make some kind of voodoo doll with it?"

Terra burst out laughing. "Don't worry; I know a lot of people say Raven's a witch. Heck I'm guilty of that, but the truth is … well, she is a witch."

Raven gave Terra a mild glare.

"But she's the good kind of witch. You have nothing to worry about. I know Raven looks creepy, but she's one of the good guys."

Raven's glare intensified. "I'm creepy? In case you forgot, I won and got to keep Gar."

"Not in my world you didn't." Terra sneered back at her.

The two Titans exchanged death glares. Jill sweat dropped. "Uh, ladies … you're scaring me."

Raven pursed her lips. "Forgive us. Terra and I have past issues, and while it's water under the bridge now every once in a while we forget that we're friends now." Raven handed the shears to Jill. "Now if you don't mind, would you please cut off a lock of your hair?"

Jill took the shears and hesitated before grabbing a strand of her hair and snipping it off, handing it to Raven, who stored it in a Ziploc bag. Raven rose from the table.

"Thanks, Jill. We'll keep you posted if we learn anything new."

Jill rose from her chair. "What if I want to contact you?"

Terra handed Jill her communicator. "Use this."

Raven zipped her knapsack shut. "It's time for us to go. We'll be in touch."

Raven raised her arms and the dark hemisphere appeared along with its tell tale hum. It engulfed the pair and sank into the floor. Jill stared at the spot where they stood only seconds before. She shook her head before muttering to herself.

"Really Gar? You married those two girls?" She shook her head, and then laughed. "The witch and the traitor? Garfield; you could have done better than that."

She looked at the communicator in her hands and smiled. "You could have married me."

_**-( - )-**_

The two women reappeared in Raven's old room in Jump City. Raven lifted a cardboard box from the floor, placed it on her desk and opened it. Terra watched as she extracted several vials and a large bowl from it.

"So what kind of hocus pocus are you gonna do? What are you gonna do with Jill's hair anyway?"

A slight exasperated sigh escaped Raven's lips. "I don't do 'hocus pocus'. What I am going to do is a tracer spell."

"Uh … in English please?"

Raven smirked at the geomancer. "All incarnations of Jill have the same aura, of which there is a residual amount in her hair. The spell will lead us to all instances of Jill across the dimensions."

"All of them? Just exactly how many are there?"

Raven pouted. "I don't know. I tried this spell on myself yesterday and it only pointed at me."

"You mean that it couldn't find any other versions of you?"

"Correct."

"Then what happened to our Raven?"

The gray woman sighed. "I don't know … maybe she's dead."

Terra face palmed. "Great, just what we needed … more mysteries."

"We'll solve them, Terra. Starting with the mystery Jillian."

Terra looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting close to 6 AM. Gar and the kids would soon be getting up. Nightwing was no doubt already in the gym. They were walking on thin ice hiding in Raven's old room. If Dick found out that Raven was back in Jump he would almost certainly go ballistic. Terra watched as Raven set up the potions, carefully mixing them in the bowl, which was made of platinum. Every time Raven added a new ingredient small explosions happened and smoke of different colors came out of the bowl while Raven intoned strange chants in a guttural voice. Terra's body language betrayed her apprehension.

"Have I ever told you that you're super creepy?"

Without looking at the geomancer while she continued to stir the witch's brew she was making, Raven replied in her signature deadpan. "More than once, now shut up."

Terra bristled at the remark but said nothing as the witch dropped Jill's lock of hair into the shiny cauldron, followed by even more guttural chanting. The cauldron began to shoot sparks and flames and Raven's four crimson eyes made their appearance and she went into a trance while she continued to speak in a macabre sounding voice. Terra felt a sensation of nausea begin to rise within her and clenched her teeth to not throw up. It didn't help all that much and she was about to toss her cookies when it suddenly came to an end. The small cauldron became still and the smell of sulfur that attacked her nostrils dissipated and her eyes stopped watering.

Her heart was still beating like a jackhammer and she approached Raven, who was now squatting on the floor, from behind. She placed a hand on the demoness's shoulder.

"Raven, are you ok?"

Raven grabbed her wrist with a vise like grip. Terra yelped in pain. Since when was Raven so strong?

"Brace yourself, Terra."

"Brace myself for what?"

Terra gasped as the whole world began to stretch and whirl around her. The experienced lasted only a few seconds, but it was intense enough that when everything returned to normal she grabbed the dust bin next to the desk and emptied her stomach into it. She continued to wretch dry heaves until she regained her composure. She turned and glared at the sorceress.

"What the hell was that?"

Before Raven could answer Terra noticed that they were now in her old room in the Jump City Tower.

"Ah crap! We just jumped back to your world, didn't we?"

Raven had a disturbed look on her face. "I don't think we are."

"Then where are we? I haven't had this room for a long time in my reality."

"That's not where we are either … Terra, rinse your mouth out and follow me."

_**-( - )-**_

Terra was relieved to get the rancid taste of puke out of her mouth but was still unsettled over the strange experience of the shift. She followed Raven down the hallway to the common room, stopping before the sliding double doors. Raven turned back to face Terra and looked her in the eyes.

"Terra, I have no idea what's on the other side of that door. But no matter what we see there, we have to keep our cool."

Terra nodded. "I understand."

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

Raven nodded and pushed the button to open the door.

Cyborg was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. He looked up from the mixer he was working with and smiled when he saw them.

"It's about time you little ladies got up. How about some of my patented waffles?"

Raven discreetly looked around the room before answering. Nightwing and Starfire were seated at the table, along with Flash and Jinx. Garfield was conspicuous by his absence.

"Thank you, Cyborg; breakfast would be nice."

The tin man grinned as he put some batter into his wafflematic. Meanwhile Terra was wandering across the room. There was a portrait of Garfield on the wall and she moved towards it. Raven also saw it, and knew that it wasn't there back at home. The two women approached it together. There was a small plaque under it which said:

_Garfield Mark Logan_

_Fallen in the line of duty_

_Oct 23, 2015_

_We will never forget you_

Terra covered her mouth with her hands, while Raven stared stoically at the portrait. He died almost three years ago. Raven fought back at the emptiness that was beginning to overwhelm her. A world without Garfield wasn't a world she wanted to live in. A stray tear dripped out of her left eye and a hand appeared, wiping it away. She turned and saw it was Nightwing.

"I sometimes still cry too." He confessed to her.

Raven nodded. "It was a terrible loss."

"Which no one felt more than you … well except for Jill of course."

"Of course." Raven played along while Terra, who had also shed a tear, remained silent.

"I don't think she'll ever forgive us. She wanted him to retire, but he wouldn't. I never told you this, but she asked me to kick him off the team."

"Are you serious?"

He pursed his lips. "Can you blame her? They would have been married ten years next month."

"I suppose not." Raven replied in her deadpan.

"Come and get it!" Cyborg shouted as he put their waffle laden plates on the table. Raven and Terra sat down and began to slowly eat their breakfast. Nightwing pulled Cyborg aside.

"She's not doing well … again."

Cyborg shook his head. "She needs to let go of him. I was heartbroken when B died, he was my best bud … but … you reach a point when you just gotta move on."

Nightwing sighed. "She can't. She couldn't let go when he broke up with her … she couldn't let go when he married Jill. I don't know what to do with her Cyborg."

"We're her friends; we'll do whatever it takes." The tin man replied in a whisper.

"I just hope it's enough."


	7. Diaries and Potato Salad

That the two women ate their breakfast in utter silence did not go unnoticed by their teammates, who also ate in awkward silence while exchanging furtive looks, until Nightwing cleared his throat.

"Raven, Terra … are you alright?"

Raven poked at her waffle. It was more than obvious that she had no appetite. "No, not really." She replied.

A small sigh escaped Grayson's lips. "Look, I'm only saying this because I really care about both of you … what I'm trying to say is that maybe the two of you should see that grief counselor again."

"Maybe you're right." Terra replied as she cleared her place at the table, tossing the remnants of her waffle in the trash. Raven followed suit.

"Good, I'll contact the therapist." He announced in what sounded like forced, positive tone.

"Thanks." Raven replied. "I'd like to go meditate for a while."

"Hey, whatever works."

Raven headed for the exit and was quickly followed by Terra, who took off like a frightened jackrabbit. "I think I'll uh … go meditate too."

Cyborg cocked his head. "Since when do you meditate?"

"I've been giving her lessons, as a coping mechanism. Come on, Terra. Let's go."

The two women marched out of the room. Starfire sniffled. "I am so sad for our friends. They both loved Garfield so much, even though he was married to Jillian."

Grayson rubbed his temples. "Maybe a leave of absence is what they need … a change of scenery … a place that doesn't remind them of Garfield."

_**-( - )-**_

As soon as the common room door slid shut Terra turned to face Raven. Her face was screwed in anger.

"Where the hell are we now?" She hissed. "What is this frakked up place! BB's dead here!"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're the witch. I thought you knew about crap like this."

"I'm not omniscient. I'm not all knowing when it comes to magic." Raven snapped at her as she took off at a brisk pace.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room."

Terra bolted after her. "Wait for me, dammit!"

Raven stopped dead in her tracks. "Sorry. We're in this together. We're gonna have to work together to get out of this mess."

Terra shook her fists in a gesture of despair. "How do we get out of this? I don't even know where to begin!"

A thoughtful look appeared on Raven's face. "We start at the beginning."

"The beginning? The beginning of what?"

Raven locked eyes with her. "I keep a journal; I'm going to read the one that my counterpart kept in this reality. Do you have one?"

"You mean a diary?"

"Precisely. Do you have one?"

"Well, yeah … I do. But it's full of really personal stuff."

"As is mine. Terra we need study the diaries, there might be clues as to what happened here and it might even help us figure out where we are. As for the private content, these aren't our journals, I expect them to be different, very different from the ones we have back home, but we have to read them."

Terra pursed her lips as she thought it over.

"OK, I guess we have no other choice." She sighed.

Raven turned around and resumed walking at a brisk pace. Terra ran after her. "Hey, wait up!"

"Go get your journal and meet me in my room." Raven replied.

_**-( - )-**_

Terra barged into her room, which still looked the same as her original room when she was working for Slade, with its simulated star studded nighttime sky on the ceiling. Her room in her reality had long since been remodeled into the apartment she shared with her spouse and children.

"She really hasn't changed it after all these years?" She mumbled to herself as she wondered where her counterpart would keep her journal in this relic of a bedroom. She ran to a tall bureau and began to ransack the drawers looking for the book, but didn't find it. She moved onto her desk but remained unsuccessful in her quest. With an exasperated huff she blew a strand of her out of her face.

"Where the frak are you?"

Then she saw it and she laughed. It was the heart shaped box Beast Boy made for her. It was on her nightstand. She flipped it open and there she found it.

She picked it up and suddenly felt nervous. She knew what she would find in her journal back home, but the realization that this wasn't really her diary hit her, and for a moment she worried about what she might find in it. She took a deep breath; clutched the book tightly and bolted from the room.

_**-( - )-**_

Raven entered her room. It was fairly identical to the room she had in Terra's world, before she was banished to Titan's East. Even though it was morning the room was dark as her heavy drapes were closed. She flicked her wrist and several candles spontaneously lit.

"Just like the good old days." She droned in her monotone.

Unlike Terra, Raven knew exactly where to look. She opened the closet and began to rummage through it. For a brief moment she panicked when she didn't find it, but she found it on a top shelf.

She came out of the closet with the giant plush chicken Beast Boy won for her at the seaside amusement park, the night the Centaurian drones attacked Starfire. She flipped the giant clucker over and found a zipper on its back, which she opened. She stuck her hand inside and pulled her journal out. To this day back home it's where she kept her journal and as far as she knew her husband didn't know where she hid it.

She sat down on a chair and began to read it.

_**-( - )-**_

_An hour later …_

Raven closed the diary while Terra continued to read the one her counterpart left behind. She looked up from her book at the sorceress.

"You're already done? What are you, a speed reader?"

"I am … I'll be back in moment."

She raised her arms and was consumed by a black hemisphere, which sank into the floor with its tell tale hum. About 30 seconds later the hum was heard again and the dark half ball rose from the floor. As it melted away it revealed Raven standing next to a free standing white board she had retrieved from one of the conference rooms. Without saying a word she grabbed an erasable marker and began to write on the board. Terra stopped reading and watched, clearly curious, as Raven continued to draw and write. After about a minute it became obvious what she was doing: she was making a timeline, which began with the day that Starfire escaped from the Gordanians.

Raven continued adding milestones: Terra's arrival, Terra and BB as couple, their break up, Raven and BB as a coupe …

Raven stopped, biting her lower lip as she hesitated. She resumed writing and jotted down 'first time', with a date: May 29.

Terra stood up and after double checking the diary she put down her an BB's 'first time.' Which predated the breakup by several months. She had a big grin on her face.

"He was mine first."

Raven gave her a bored look. "He was neither yours nor mine. We never met him."

"From what I've been reading, he was just like mine …" Terra paused midsentence as she stared at the white board. She looked back at her diary and a frown formed on her face.

"I something wrong, Terra?"

"We didn't break up on April 27."

"When did you break up?"

Terra flipped a few pages and read them. "According to this diary, we didn't break up until July 17 … Raven are you sure your first time with him was May 29?"

"Her first time with him." Raven corrected her, opening the diary and showed Terra the page, which was dated May 29, 2008.

Terra's face turned red. "So that's how you stole him from me."

Raven sighed. "Terra, I did no such thing. You need to stop taking this personally. We never met this version of Gar, remember?"

Terra crossed her arms and frowned. "I'll bet your counterpart in my reality slept with him."

"Since he was with her first, it's probable that she did. And it's also possible that your counterpart slept with my Gar in my reality. Terra … dwelling on those possibilities at this moment is pointless. If we can get out of this mess and return to our worlds permanently, you can go and ask your husband if he ever had sex with my counterpart. But right now we need to focus on fixing whatever has fractured the realities like this."

Terra rubbed her temples.

"Keeping these realities apart is giving me a headache … so why are we doing this time line stuff, anyway?"

"I'm trying to see if anything odd or unusual has happened."

"You mean BB two timing us isn't odd or unusual?"

Raven sighed. "Yes, it is. But that's not what we're looking for."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Terra grumbled.

Raven resumed updating the timeline. "Something to do with Jillian. I am convinced that she's at the heart of what is happening."

"How do you know that? I sure haven't seen any evidence for that. For all we know Jillian is just a fellow passenger on this crazy ride."

Raven bit her lower lip before answering. "It was a hunch."

Terra laughed. "A hunch? Since when do you do hunches, Miss Spock from Vulcan?"

Raven glared at the blond. "You are aware that the fictional Mr. Spock, like me, is half human and has emotions, but keeps them hidden. But yes, Terra, I actually do 'hunches', and my hunch panned out."

Raven resumed updating the timeline on the board. New milestones were introduced for Jillian: Her arrival from Los Angeles, BB breaking up with Terra, she and BB commencing dating, their engagement and their marriage. They bought a house and moved out of the Tower. Raven paused before writing the next milestone: Garfield's death at Slade's hand.

"It was Slade?" Terra murmured. She had not yet reached that milestone in her diary.

"Yes." Raven replied in a solemn voice. "What is interesting is that on that same date in my world Slade almost killed Gar and I saved him. I suspect that the same happened in your reality, with you saving him."

"You're right; I did save him from Slade on that day. But here he wasn't married to either of us." Terra remarked breathlessly.

"Correct. In my world we were always partnered together. Here he was partnered with Wally. We weren't there to save him."

"I see, but where does Jill fit into all of this?"

Raven closed the journal. A year after his death Jill approached me and asked if I could bring him back with magic. I told her that he was gone to the next realm, that magic couldn't bring him back."

Raven resumed writing on the white board, adding more milestones. Without telling anyone, Jill sold her home, left Jump City and vanished. There were occasional sightings around the world. The journal's writer speculated that Jill was wandering the world to cope with her grief. Then, just days before the jumps began to happen, Jill came back. She came to visit them and spent the night in the Tower. It was a polite and cordial visit. Jill mentioned that she spent the past few years wandering, coping with her loss but that she was ready to move on. She left the next day and never returned.

"OK, that last part's weird. Why did she visit for one lousy day?" Terra remarked.

"I think she needed something from the Tower, or to be more precise, something from us."

"What could she need from us?"

Raven pursed her lips. "I'm not sure, but I have a theory."

"Well what is it?"

"She somehow found out that we each had our own Garfield in our own realities. Beyond that I don't know."

"So, we're gonna go find her, right?"

"You bet your blond ass we are." She droned in her monotone.

Terra burst out laughing. "Raven … I'm proud of you. This is a side of you I've never seen before."

"Just because you haven't seen that side that doesn't mean it hasn't always been there."

Raven cracked her knuckles and sat herself down in front of her computer terminal. "Now, to find out where she went." She nodded at a second terminal. "You check the airlines, see if she left town. I'm going to see where she's been using her credit cards. I'll bet our Titans security codes are the same here."

Terra went straight to the federal airline database. As Raven predicted, her credentials were valid and she was able to login.

The chase was on.

_**-( - )-**_

The common room doors slid open just as Cyborg was dishing up some lunch. The tin man grinned at Raven and Terra as they entered the room.

"You little ladies are in for a treat. I made my grandma's secret three meat ribs."

Terra smiled while Raven stoically sat down at the table. "Did you make potato salad?" She asked in her monotone.

"Did I? Cyborg replied in a mock offended voice. "How about I made all three recipes?"

"You made the one with red potatoes and Dijon mustard?"

"You bet I did. I know it's your favorite, Raven."

While she didn't smile it did please Raven to see that some things stayed the same across realities, and that included Cyborg's Dijon potato salad.

The mood at the lunch table was boisterous as their teammates recalled their last mission, which neither of them could remember. Raven did what always did; she remained silent while she ate. Terra played along and smiled and laughed like she usually would. Soon enough the meal was consumed and they chipped in with the cleanup work. That was when Raven approached Nightwing.

"I have a favor I need to ask."

Grayson finished loading the dishwasher's detergent bin before making eye contact with her. "Sure, what's up?"

Raven fidgeted with her fingers. "This is gonna sound kind of weird."

Nightwing smiled. "It's OK, just tell me."

"Well, Terra and I would like to take a leave of absence."

Nightwing nodded. "This is about Garfield, right?"

"Uh … yeah."

He nodded his head. "I understand. Actually, I think it's good that you guys are bonding like this. Lemme guess, Jill's visit triggered this?"

"Yes, it did. It helped us realize how much we have in common … I don't know how long we'll be gone … and … uh … we're gonna need transportation."

"Take all the time you need. And the old T-Ship is yours. Cyborg just finished refurbishing it. It's good as new. Where are you guys going, if it's OK for me to ask?"

"We aren't sure, but we are planning on going to Japan. I want to show Terra where we fought Brushogan."

"I see … retracing places Gar has been. Sure, why not? May I call you guys back if there's an emergency?"

"Of course. We'll be leaving this afternoon."

Grayson wrapped his arms around his gray friend. "Good luck, Raven. I hope this journey brings some closure for you and Terra. I know how much you've been suffering since that terrible day."

Raven sensed turmoil in him.

"You still haven't forgiven yourself, have you?"

Nightwing sighed as he released her. "I was his leader, how can I forgive myself? Had I been on the ball Slade never would have cornered him without us to back him up."

She placed a hand on his forearm. "Dick, it wasn't your fault."

He gave her a weak smile. "Thanks … to hear you finally say that, it means a lot to me."

"I'm sorry I didn't say it a long time ago."

Raven looked into his unmasked eyes. This wasn't her Nightwing, he was by all rights a stranger. Yet, she knew him. She knew of the pain he endured when his parents were murdered and knew the joy he felt when he married Starfire and later when Mar'i was born.

She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "Good bye, Richard."

Raven nodded to Terra, who had overheard the conversation. The blond also gave Grayson a kiss on the cheek and the two departed. Cyborg had overheard the conversation as well.

"That was odd. I don't think they've ever kissed you before."

Grayson slowly shook his head. "I have this strange feeling … like they were saying goodbye."

"You mean you don't think they're coming back?"

"Yeah … and I don't know why."

_**-( - )-**_

The chase begins.


	8. Trouble in Tokyo

The Japanese air traffic controller sat at his console, calmly speaking into his headset to a Japan Airlines jet that was an hour away from reaching its destination. Even though it was 4 AM there was plenty of traffic, both inbound and outbound, as the dozens of transponder codes on his screen witnessed. His job was to stack the inbound flights, assigning them their landing slot times at Narita airport, and he performed this task with the utmost in Japanese aplomb and efficiency. Like a calligrapher or a swordsmith, he was a master of his trade and took great pride in it.

It was a night like any other; the same flights would queue up every night. Due to delays and an occasional flight cancellation there was some variation each night, and he was used to it. That night however he saw a transponder code he had never seen before.

It was Titan002.

He furrowed his brow. He had never heard of such an airline, and he was pretty sure he knew them all. He asked his partner, an older woman named Michiko, if she had heard of such an airline. She informed him that it wasn't an airline, but rather it belonged to the Titans. He asked her how she knew that and she told him that she was on duty the night over a decade before when the then Teen Titans first visited Japan.

His perfectionist ego was slightly bruised by not knowing that fact, but he swallowed his pride as he keyed up the radio.

"Titan002, this is Narita Control."

"Good morning, this is Titan002." A gravelly female voice replied in an eerie monotone.

The controller checked his screen. "Titan002, radar shows that you are travelling at Mach 3.4, you need to reduce to subsonic speed. Change to 450 knots and 45,000 feet."

"Titan002 acknowledged."

The controller keyed off his mike and turned to his coworker.

"I wonder why they're here. We have our own superheroes now."

The woman shrugged. "That's immigration's problem. Our job is to make sure they land safely."

_**-( - )-**_

Even though the sun had yet to rise, the airport was busy and the lines for customs and immigration were long and slow. Terra grumbled her displeasure.

"Why are we in this stupid line?"

"Because we aren't here on official Titans business, we've come as private citizens. Or do you want Nightwing to find out that we're chasing Jillian?"

Terra crossed her arms and frowned. "Fine, I get it. You don't have to get all huffy about it."

"I don't do huffy."

"Whatever."

Raven rolled her eyes and the line began to move. After a few more minutes they reached an immigration agent, a stone faced middle aged man who raised d an eyebrow when he saw the two famous women before him.

"Your passports, please."

They handed their passports over. One was Azarathian and the other was from kingdom of Markovia. He calmly examined them.

"You are Titans?" He asked.

"That is correct." Raven replied in a deadpan.

The officer picked up a telephone handset and spoke into it in Japanese. A few moments later a women with the rank of lieutenant arrived. The officer handed their passports to her and after quickly examining them she looked at the two gaijin women.

"Please come with me."

As they were led away Terra fumed. "They can't treat me this way." She muttered to Raven. "I'm from the Royal House of Markovia, I'm a princess. It says so on my passport."

"Let's not make a fuss, so we can get this over with and be on our way." Raven whispered back to her.

The woman led them into a conference room and gestured at a table. "Please, have a seat."

After they complied the woman also sat down at the table, opposite of them. She opened their passports and laid them down on the table.

"So what do I have here? Two Titans, one of which has an official Royal Markovian passport."

"That is correct." Raven calmly replied.

"May I ask why you didn't contact us before coming to Japan?"

"We are not here on official Titans business."

"I see, do does that mean that you are here on unofficial superhero business? I ask this question because we now have laws in Japan regulating superhero activities."

"What does that mean?" Terra asked.

"What it means is that if you are here as heroes you need to have a special superhero visa, which you would have to apply for back in your home country at one of our consulates."

Raven locked eyes with the woman. "Then it's fortunate that we are here for pleasure and not business."

"Yes, it is. And Miss Raven, if could make a suggestion … I'm not saying that your Azarathian passport is a forgery or a fake, but Japan does not have diplomatic relations with Azarath. I would suggest that you procure a more … conventional passport, perhaps an American one." She turned to Terra as she handed them their passports. "And in your case, your Highness, if you will be using an official passport that identifies you as Markovian royalty, that makes your visit official and subject to state protocols. I would also advise you to procure a more conventional passport next time."

The woman smiled as she rose from her chair. "You're free to go. Welcome to Japan, I hope your visit is a pleasant one."

_**-( - )-**_

A black circle flew overhead, unnoticed by the few souls already up at the pre-dawn hour. It landed in front of a small, ordinary looking hotel in a Tokyo suburb. Terra looked around with bewildered eyes. Absolutely all signage was in Kanji.

"Raven, I don't know about you, but I can't speak or read Japanese."

The sorceress opened one of her belt's compartments and handed her what appeared to be large pill made of gelatin.

"Here, eat this." Raven replied before swallowing a similar pill.

Terra looked at it with a jaundiced eye before swallowing it. She suddenly felt dizzy as her surroundings began to blur. The sensation passed quickly and the world came back into focus. To her amazement everything appeared to be in English.

"Whoa!" Terra moaned. "Is that magic?"

"Yes, it is and you're welcome. The effect lasts 72 hours."

They entered the hotel's reception area, which was little more than a counter. A bored looking man put down his manga and gave the foreigners an irritated look.

"We have reservations." Raven announced in flawless Japanese.

_**-( - )-**_

Terra frowned as they entered the hotel room.

"Where are the beds?" She asked.

"I expect they are in the closet." Raven replied as she began to unpack her small suitcase

Terra opened the closet and her frown intensified. "Futons? Tell me again why we aren't staying at a real hotel."

"This is a real hotel. As to why here, we want to stay out of the limelight."

"Stay out of the limelight? In case you forget, we both look foreign, especially you. No offense Raven, but you really stand out like a sore thumb here."

Raven tossed a small box at the geomancer.

"Hair dye?"

"Yes, we are going to color our hair. Black, both of us. And we're not going to wear our Titan uniforms."

Terra snorted. "This blows."

"I couldn't ask Cyborg for holorings, so this will have to do." Raven replied as she stepped in to the bathroom. When she emerged later, her violet locks were gone and were now black. Terra gave her a look over.

"Not bad. Black suits you, Raven."

"Your turn. After you're done we should get some sleep. Dark hair isn't much of a disguise, but it will work better at night, which is when we want to look for Jill anyway."

"Where exactly are we going to look for her? Tokyo's huge."

"We'll visit Tokyo's underworld."

"You mean the Yakuza? The Japanese Mafia? Why would they help us?"

Raven setup her futon on the floor. "Because we will pay them handsomely for clues."

_**-( - )-**_

_Later that afternoon …_

The sound of two women snoring softly permeated the Spartan hotel room. The sound of rush hour traffic outside became louder. Terra was unaffected by the sound while Raven began to toss and turn in her futon. Her eyes suddenly popped open and she reached out with her senses. There was someone outside their door. The sensation felt familiar, as if she should have recognized the aura, but she didn't.

Two envelopes were slipped under the door, sliding across the well waxed hardwood floor in the room. Raven bolted out of the futon and ran to the door, opening it. She peered out into the empty hallway. Not only did she not see anyone, the aura was gone. Whoever it was, they were quick to leave. She returned to her room, closing the door behind her. Terra was up and had the envelopes in her hands. She locked eyes with Raven.

"What's this all about? One of them is addressed to me, in Markovian. The other one is … I don't what it is … I'm guessing it's for you."

Raven took the letter from her. "It's in Azarathian." She remarked as she opened her letter.

"So much for going undercover." Terra retorted.

Raven ignored her and read the letter. Terra decided to do the same with hers. Upon finishing, Raven looked up from the sheet of paper.

"Mine says that they know where Jillian is and that they want me to meet them at an old bookstore I visited a long time ago, the store where I bought the book about Brushogan. What does yours say?"

Terra put her note down. "The same thing. And it's signed 'A Friend'"

"I wonder if it's the bookstore owner?" Raven mumbled to herself. "He was very helpful last time."

"How did he know where to find us?"

Raven shrugged. "I have no idea. I guess there is only one way to find out."

_**-( - )-**_

It felt all too familiar to Raven. It was the same dark, deserted street she remembered from years before. The bookstore was still there.

"Really? That's a bookstore?" Terra mumbled. "How does he stay in business? I don't see any customers."

"How do I know? Maybe his sales are over the internet." Raven whispered as they slowly approached the store. Raven entered first, parting the curtain that served as the store's main door. Terra cautiously followed her in.

The store was dimly lit, with long and sinister shadows cast on the wall. Terra felt goosebumps form on her skin

"Raven, I have a bad feeling about this." Terra whispered.

"So do I … we need to find the shopkeeper. Something is wrong here."

Raven glanced around the deserted store.

"Hello?" She called out. There was no answer. "Terra, you look in the back, I'll search over here."

The geomancer nodded and her eyes glowed yellow. She wasn't going to give anyone a chance to ambush her. She began to explore the store, wandering through the seemingly endless rows which reminded her of the stacks at a library. There wasn't a sound; the place was as quiet as a graveyard.

She came around a corner and gasped when she saw him. The bookstore owner, the same small man who befriended Raven years before was tied to a chair and was gagged, he was struggling in vain to break free.

"Raven! I found him! He's tied up!"

"Wait for me!" The sorceress replied as she ran to the back of the store.

Terra pointed to the old man, who was at the end of a long hallway, squirming to break free from his bonds. Raven ran to him, followed by Terra.

"Mr. Takamichi! Are you OK?" She shouted as ran to him. He didn't seem to notice their approach and continued with his futile struggle to break free.

"Who did this to you?" She asked as she reached for his gag, intending to remove it. To her immense surprise her hand went right through his face.

"He isn't real! It's a hologram!" Terra shouted.

Before she could reply Raven felt a sharp prick in her neck. She instinctively reached for it and found a small dart in the back of her neck, which she pulled out. She saw Terra's eyes roll back as she collapsed onto the floor. The shopkeeper's image began to fizzle and blink, and then it vanished altogether.

Raven could feel the powerful narcotic taking effect. Her half demonic physiology fought back against it, but it was a battle she couldn't win. Her legs were now feeling rubbery but summoning all her willpower she turned around, eager to see who shot them.

Her eyes widened with shock when she saw who it was.

Terra was holding a dart gun in her hand and had a smug grin on her face. Raven looked at the floor and saw that Terra's supine figure was still knocked out. She looked back at standing Terra and saw a figure hiding in the shadows.

"Slade?" She croaked, struggling to retain consciousness.

She gasped when the mystery figure emerged from the darkness.

It was … herself.

"Hello Raven, thanks for accepting my invitation." The doppelganger greeted her in her own voice.

"Who … who are you?" She slurred.

A grin, a not so nice grin appeared on the other Raven's face.

"I'm you, the you that calls this reality home."

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Raven asked as she lost her balance and stumbled, grabbing onto a book case to stop her fall.

"All in good time, sister."

Raven collapsed and lost consciousness. Their local twins immediately snapped power cancellation collars on them. Terra had an ear to ear grin.

"It worked Raven! You did it!"

She shook her head. "Not until we're reunited with him. We aren't there yet, but now that we lured them into our trap, we can proceed with the next step."

The local Terra pumped her fist. "We've waited so long for this! Finally, he'll be mine."

"And mine too. But first we need to get them out of here."

They each picked up their twin. Local Raven's eyes glowed black and her spectral bird appeared. It engulfed the four of them and flew out the door.

_**-( - )-**_

"Ow … my head." Raven groaned as she woke up. Her head felt as if it was about to explode. As she sat up she noticed that she was shackled and was wearing a power cancellation collar around her neck. She saw Terra resting in a cot next to her, also shackled and wearing a power cancellation collar. They were in some sort of prison cell. Raven trudged over to Terra and shook her.

"Terra! Wake up!"

The geomancer moaned as she woke. She immediately noticed her shackles and power cancellation collar.

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember we were in the bookstore … I see … it was a trap."

"It was."

"So who trapped us?"

"We did." Raven sighed.

"We did? What are you talking about? How come you never make any sense, Raven?"

The cell door opened and Terra's jaw hit the ground when she their doppelgangers. She quickly recovered and turned to face her friend. "Let me guess, they're the locals?"

"Good guess, Terra." Her twin remarked in a sing song voice.

"What is going on here? Why are you guys doing this? You're Titans, for Pete's sake!"

"Isn't it obvious, Terra? They're going to take our place back home." Raven calmly remarked.

"Wait ... are you saying they're gonna steal our husbands and families from us?"

"That's exactly what we're gonna do." Local Terra cheered.

"And what about us? You think you can just leave us behind here?" Terra protested. "And what about Jillian? Where is she?"

Local Raven stepped forward. Terra felt a chill go down her spine. She wasn't an empath, but she could feel the evil oozing from the local sorceress, who smiled sweetly at them.

"You're quite right; my twin would no doubt be able to find a way home. So, you see, it's going to be very tragic. A murder/suicide I'm afraid."

"You can't be serious! Terra's right, you're Titans, how could you even consider doing something like this. And what have you done with Jillian?"

Local Raven walked around the shackled women. "Poor Jillian, she missed her husband so much. She told me that she'd do anything to bring him back. So I used her in a spell to create the reality shifts. It really is a terrible spell, one that requires great sacrifice. And it almost failed. I was trying to get you here and I was afraid that she would die before we could bring you over. You have no idea how close it was."

Raven's eyes widened. "You mean … she's dead?"

"I'm afraid so. But now that you're both here it will be easy to jump back to your reality."

"WHAT THE FRAK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Terra bellowed. "What kind of psychos are you?"

Local Terra slapped her across the face. "Do you have any idea of what it was like to lose Gar to that airheaded bimbo? Or what it felt like when he died?"

Terra glared at her twin. "Stealing my Gar won't bring yours back."

"We know." Local Raven calmly replied. "But as the saying goes, it's close enough for all practical purposes."

The local demoness drew an evil looking dagger from her cape. "But the time for talking is over. This is the end of the line for you. Please don't take this personally; if there was a foolproof way to maroon you here I would do it."

Local Raven gestured and her doppelganger was enveloped in dark energy.

"You don't have to do this Raven, it's not who you are! You're a hero, not a villain." Raven attempted to reason with her.

"I was a hero, but right now I want him. And once I take your place I'll resume being a selfless hero. And don't worry; I'll be good to your kids … when you think about it, they're my kids too."

Raven began to panic. Her mad twin was about to murder her and she couldn't think of any way to defend herself. She was trapped in the dark energy and couldn't move.

"Raven, please … do you really want this on your conscious?"

The local twin paused. "Not really … but I can live with it."

The other Terra was busy preparing a noose. "I've already written the suicide note. You blame Raven for BB's death and you killed her. You then felt remorse and hung yourself. Very tidy, don't you think?"

"Nightwing will never buy it." Terra seethed between clenched teeth. "He'll investigate."

"And he'll find nothing. Sorry sister, I'll make sure your neck snaps immediately, you'll die instantly, with no pain."

"You can't take them from me."

"I think we already did." Local Terra remarked as she fitted the noose around her twin's neck.

"Any last words?" Local Raven asked.

"Frack you!" Raven shouted.

Local Raven raised her arm, ready to plunge the blade into Raven's heart.

"I'm sorry, sister."

As she trust her arm down a laser bolt hit her back. She screamed in pain and dropped the dagger. She grimaced when she saw over a hundred robots pour into their lair. She was too injured to fight and retreated to safe distance, staggering in the process.

"Terra! Stop them!"

The local geomancer began to counter attack, smashing the droids as fast as she could. She was able to fend them off from herself, but she couldn't keep them away from the prisoners.

"Raven … those are Sladebots." Terra gasped.

"I know." She replied as two droids picked them up bridal style and escaped while covered by the others. Soon they were out of the lair. A familiar figure awaited them.

"Good evening, ladies."

"Slade? You saved us?" Raven asked, unable to conceal her disbelief.

"Don't thank me all at once." He growled as his droids loaded them into a helicopter.

"But why? You hate us. Even if we are from another reality."

As the chopper lifted away he undid their shackles.

"I have my reasons."


End file.
